Convergence
by Cottonball428
Summary: *Setting: Post-Winter War*/ Naomi returns to Seireitei after a long recovery from the Winter War. Her return is marred by frequent night terrors, hallucinations, blackouts and the presence of a certain captain with whom she shares a past.
1. Boredom

**Boredom**

* * *

"_Cat and mouse, you said?" _

_The velvety voice of her former captain, which once brought her comfort now sent only tremors of fear down her back as she faced him in one of the alleyways of Fake Karakura Town. She knew before she left it was a mistake coming there._

_A mistake that would cost her her life._

_She couldn't feel anything from him. It was like he wasn't even standing 14 feet in front of her, the same amused smirk he had when he tried to kill her before. And he looked different, of course. Fusing with the Hōgyoku had morphed him significantly but he still retained his natural handsomeness. But gone were the soft brown eyes that enthralled her when she first met him. His eyes were a piercing gray now, much like her own, with purple sclera. His dark brown hair was significantly longer, the strand that hung loosely in front of face fell to his shoulder. The more she looked at him, the more she realized he was not the same man that showed her kindness when she arrived in Soul Society. This man was now a monster._

_He chuckled and stepped forward. Naomi's hands tightened around the handles of her jitte and her already tense body coiled even more. _

"_I like that," Aizen mused. "It implies that you've recognized me as a predator."_

_Naomi, despite the intimidation that came from his simple gaze, had to resist to the urge to roll her eyes. He was still as cocky as ever. _

"_I just don't understand why you're wasting time chasing children," she retorted. "It's a bit beneath you isn't, Sosuke?"_

_Sosuke raised an eyebrow. It enthralled him that she alone still addressed him by his first name. It proved to him that this fool, despite his treachery, still held on to the man she thought she knew. Naomi failed to realize he was no longer a man; he was a god._

"_You still place me on some sort of pedestal? You're still as naïve as you were when you opened that door and let me in."_

_Phantom fingers wrapped around Naomi's throat at the memory of that near-death experience. It was only due to Captain Unohana's superior intuition that she survived in the first place. But Captain Unohana wasn't here now. Nobody was coming to save her. She was looking death in the face. _

_Naomi knew it was stupid to come there. Just facing Sosuke now proved that people much more powerful than her had already failed. They were all probably dead. Or maybe not. Sosuke wanted to be a king. He would need subjects._

_She blinked and Sosuke wasn't in front of her anymore. _

"_I don't think strangling you will do this time," his voice purred from behind her, his breath in her ear. His hand was gently caressing her cheek. Naomi's veins turned ice cold. Her eyes widened and her lungs stopped working. She was paralyzed._

"_My touch should wipe you out of existence. It is only because I am allowing you to exist that you do."_

_Naomi's couldn't form a thought. Time had slowed down and she was still trying to process his words and actions._

"_You should see your face. You've never looked more stunning."_

_Naomi wasn't listening to him anymore. She could felt and heard every thump of her heart; it was like a countdown to the end._

_Sosuke pulled her into him and breathed in her scent; a sweet vanilla with a hint of lavender. His hands traveled lower and lower until they reached the porcelain, smooth skin of her thighs. Slowly, he moved her long dark hair to one side and placed his lips against her elegant neck._

"_Any final words?" he murmured against her skin._

_Naomi was numb, unfeeling; she might as well have been dead. She couldn't form words with her brain, let alone her mouth. It was over._

_Sosuke smiled. "You've finally learned to keep those beautiful lips of yours closed. Goodbye, sixth seat Reed."_

* * *

A high-pitch scream sounded throughout the wooden cabin, alerting the elderly owner. Sighing, she got up, flipping her feet over the side of the bed and sliding on her slippers. Her petite form, dressed in a flowery silk robe, traveled down the upstairs hallway, stopping at the door at the very end. The scream was very much still ongoing and much louder at this distance. The elderly woman's head leaned against the door, her eyes closed tight before entering the room.

The raven-haired young woman sat up in bed, shrieking at the top of her lungs like a banshee. Her skin was dewy with sweat and the loose strands of her wavy hair, knotted in a bun on top of her head, stuck to her forehead. She gripped the white sheets with panicked strength. Her eyes were clenched shut and the veins in her forehead popped out with the force of her voice.

The old woman casually strode over to her, sitting on the bed. A few seconds later, she delivered a quick slap to the young lady's cheek, causing abrupt silence. The girl gasped for breath, her light gray eyes wide and wild. One of the straps of her blue nightgown hung off her shoulder. She looked insane.

"I'm-I'm so-so s-sorry L-lady Rin-nako," she stuttered, shaking.

Lady Rinako rolled her eyes, lighting the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. "I thought you were over this. It's been weeks since your last nightmare."

Naomi grabbed the glass of water sitting on the nightstand and gulped it down to cure her parched mouth. She took a deep breath.

"I thought I was, too."

Lady Rinako frowned and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Naomi fought the urge to flinch away.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back so soon? Genryūsai wouldn't mind if you stayed another week or month or year."

Naomi chuckled, shaking her head. "You clearly don't know my captain. I'm sure it's only because of Captain Unohana that he's let me stay as long as I have."

Lady Rinako's hazel eyes narrowed. "I can be just as convincing as Retsu."

The light of dawn crept through the window. Naomi got up, stretching. "Oh, I know you can. But it's been four months. I think I'm ready to go home."

The old woman looked incredulous. "You really think you're all set to return to Seireitei? Where all that awaits you is a steaming pile of paperwork and boredom?"

Naomi walked over to the window, gazing at the blue-peachy horizon. A small smile spread across her face.

"I could use a little boredom."

* * *

_Just trying something new._

_Read and Review if you please._


	2. Passing Time

**Passing Time**

* * *

Using all her strength, Naomi managed to knot the opening of the heavy sack and close it completely. Breathing heavily, she glared at Lady Rinako who sat meditating on the porch a few feet away.

"With all the shit you threw in here, you could have at least helped me shut the damn thing," Naomi snipped. Her face was red and her hands ached from spending the past 45 minutes pulling on the rope. She wore a simple white tank top and denim shorts with black sneakers. Her shoulder-length hair was bound in a high ponytail.

"You are a bird leaving the nest; you no longer need me," Lady Rinako, eyes still closed, replied.

Naomi rolled her eyes and walked over to the elderly woman, falling to her knees in front of her. She took her hands in her own and patiently waited for her to open her eyes. A few minutes later, one of them popped open.

"What?" Lady Rinako barked.

"I want to thank you for showing me so much kindness throughout the years. I don't know how I would have survived in this world without you," Naomi began sincerely.

Lady Rinako's face softened.

"You're the most incredible woman I've ever met. Thank you for always treating me with your own special brand of kindness; for treating me like a daughter." Naomi bowed and stood up, turning to leave. She kept it purposefully short; Lady Rinako was usually not one for sentiment.

Suddenly, small but sturdy arms wrapped around her hips. The short elderly woman buried her face against Naomi's back, small tears streaming down her face. Naomi felt her own eyes stinging with tears and her throat tighten at the gesture.

"You better come back and visit me! No more of that 'see you next year' crap," Lady Rinako cried. "I'm old and you're a Soul Reaper; our time is limited. I don't care if it's just for a day. If I don't see your face at least once a month I'm coming to Seireitei, dragging you out by force, and tie you to Face Rock for three days."

Naomi, now openly crying, laughed. She turned around and hugged the woman back. "I'm gonna miss you, too."

Lady Rinako became more than her friend and mentor in these trying times; she became family. Family Naomi had craved since she died and came to Soul Society. She had always been there for Naomi when she needed her and she always would be.

After leaving Lady Rinako's house, Naomi took the path that led her into the local village to say goodbye to her friends.

* * *

"We don't want you to go!" Chika, the youngest in the group of children, whined. She clung to Naomi's neck in a vain attempt to weigh her down. Twin boys, Isao and Isamu had their arms wrapped around her ankles and various other children were pulling on her body.

Naomi could have easily shook them off; after all, she slashed through the flesh and bone of Hollow for a living. But she was enjoying spending this time with them. It saddened her she wouldn't be able to see them every day.

"I have to! Duty calls, you guys!" Naomi fake-struggled walking past the fountain where the kids had ambushed her. The older villagers looked on, amused by the spectacle.

"No!" the children shouted in unison.

"Okay," Naomi wheezed, slowly falling to her knees. "You guys win." Finally she collapsed and the children piled on top of her, cheering for their victory. When they managed to disentangle themselves, they were shocked to see Naomi was no longer at the bottom of the pile.

"Wow. You guys sure did a number on her," Naomi whistled, sitting casually on the roof of the tiny restaurant biting into a red apple.

The children's eyes widened and they ran over to the entrance. "That's not fair! You cheated again!" Chika, a tiny girl with red hair, pouted. Naomi leaned over the roof and looked at them incredulously.

"You all gained up on me! I think that constitutes as cheating as well!"

"It is not!" Isao and Isamu said at the same time. Isamu continued, "You're bigger than us. We used strength in numbers."

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "And that was a very good strategy. But you'll need a lot more kids than that. I have entire unit on call ready to drag me back to Seireitei. "

One of the older kids, Ryu, crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "We're ready whenever they are."

Naomi grinned, the dimple in her left cheek deepening. She would miss these kids so much. She would miss this village even more. Sagara, located in the District 12 of South Rukongai, was a relatively wealthy area with little to no crime. It was no wonder that after retiring as a shinigami, Lady Rinako retreated to this small village of no more than 200 people. It was one of the smallest populace in all Rukongai. Everyone generally got along, aside from the occasional neighborly disputes. And outsiders hardly gave them trouble; Lady Rinako, though she usually kept to herself, acted as the de facto guardian of Sagara. Nobody wanted to mess with her.

Hopping down from the building, Naomi landed in the center of the group and dealt all of them tight hugs, promising she would come back in a month.

Grabbing her travel sack, she threw it over her shoulder before waving goodbye and continuing on her way through the village. When she reached the entrance, she was wary to see Umi, the old blind fortune teller. She stood in the middle of the dirt path, as if waiting for Naomi. She was creepy like that.

"Umi," Naomi greeted politely. "You came to see me off."

Umi, a plump woman with purplish-gray hair, snorted. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Naomi, despite the other woman's unseeing eyes, held back a smirk.

"I just came to warn you not to take the shortcut on your journey home."

Naomi shook her head, strutting past the old woman. "I wasn't planning on it, Umi. I think your crystal ball might be out of juice."

The old woman's wrinkled old hand shot out in front of Naomi, stopping her in her tracks. "Another joke from the comedian, eh?" Umi whispered ominously. "It will not be so funny when you reach the point at which you must choose to face the past." Umi spat on the ground and lowered her hand before limping her way past Naomi who glared at her.

"What the hell is that even supposed to mean, Umi?" Naomi shouted after her. The old woman ignored her, continuing on her way home and laughing maniacally to herself. That Shinigami's journey home would be a long one. She would probably lose her mind along the way.

An inconspicuous black bird sat on a branch watching the entire exchange from the shadows of the forest. When Naomi scoffed and turned to finally leave the village, the bird still watched the old woman with its eyes gleaming with regard. It abruptly took, soaring ahead of his unsuspecting companion.

* * *

The heavy travel bag had become even weightier as Naomi trudged through the forest of Rukongai. The journey home was usually a day's worth, a day and a half without taking the shortcut. But Naomi hadn't even reached shortcut yet. As the sun set around her, she felt as if time had been moving past her rather than with her.

As the darkness accumulated around her, she couldn't help but feel slightly off. The words of Umi echoed in her head. She said she came to _warn _her; as if there was some danger up ahead. But what could be so dangerous Umi felt Naomi couldn't handle it if taken by surprise? The lower districts in Rukongai were by far the most peaceful. The few criminals in these parts were already locked up. Besides, none of them could take on a Soul Reaper, yet alone a seated officer. So could it be a Hollow? If so, then what was mumbo jumbo about 'facing the past'?

Naomi shook the confusion out of her head. _It doesn't matter. It looks like I won't even be getting there until morning. I should stop for the night and rest._

Setting up camp took her about ten minutes. Most of that was time spent rummaging through the sack for a tent and sleeping bag. It would be a pain to close again in the morning. She ate one of the small boxed lunches Lady Rinako had packed for her trip before lighting the lantern in her tiny tent and opening the worn diary at her side. She adjusted the glasses on her face before removing the bookmark and silently reading.

_Dear Diary,_

_I got into the Academy! I passed the entrance exam with flying colors. Uncle Shu and Uncle Shiro said they were so proud of me. I haven't told the old man yet but I know he'll be glad for me as well. Grandma on the other hand… she still doesn't know I even want to become a Soul Reaper. I already know what she would say. She would forbid me from ever leaving the house again. I don't know how I'm supposed to tell her… Hopefully I can dream of a way tonight. GN, Sora_

Naomi turned the page. The next entry took up a few pages. The ink was blotted in some spots, indicating something dripped over them while she was writing it, making it hard to read.

_Dear Diary, _

_I finally read her letter… she said to never come back home until I give up this 'petty fantasy' of becoming a Shinigami. She said if I get killed, she won't waste her time mourning a fool… why doesn't she get that I don't wanna be just a stupid soul? I want my life to mean something… my father and mother's legacy… fine! That old wench will never see me again! I don't need her anymore… I will be the strongest Shinigami… deserve the succession…_

The entry ended and Naomi yawned. She was exhausted from the day's trip. Just one more and she would be out.

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm sure Kido is my specialty! I got moved into the advanced class! Today, we learned a mid-thirties level spell and the instructor said I executed it flawlessly. And not only that but… Byakuya Kuchiki is in my class! He's really good at Kido as well. I hope to do really well so I can impress him. .Then maybe he'll finally notice me. GN, Sora._

Naomi gasped as she read the last entry. Sora Yamamoto went to school with Captain Kuchiki? _And_ she had a crush on him? This diary was so juicy. Naomi put the bookmark back and closed the small book. She would read more when she woke up in the morning.

Naomi blew the fire in the lantern out before cozying down in her sleeping bag. Slowly, her eyes drooped shut and she was fast asleep.

The wind blew with a sudden force that violently shook the tent, waking Naomi up. It was still dark outside; she'd only gotten a few hours of sleep. Groaning, she flipped her pillow over face in an attempt to ignore the howling wind.

_These must be how Lady Rinako felt living with me these past four months, _Naomi though irately.

A few minutes later, the wind died down. Naomi sighed with relief and nestled satisfactorily into her bag. She was _this _close to falling asleep when she heard it. The snap of a twig.

Her eyes shot open and her hand automatically reached for her sheathed katana at her side.

Silence.

Another snap.

Naomi simultaneously threw on the sack, unsheathed her sword, and rolled out of the tent right before it was crushed under the weight of a large claw. The roar of the huge Hollow sounded throughout the forest, threatening to bust Naomi's ear drums.

"How's a girl supposed to get her beauty rest with all the noise you're making?" Naomi asked sarcastically before leaping into the air and attempting to slash the Hollow across the mask. Suddenly, a bird-like one was sailing toward her, its beak open for a clean swallow.

_Shit._

Twisting, she managed to avoid the bird but the other Hollow swiped at her. She flash-stepped away from that attack and neatly landed on the ground, crouching.

"Two-on-one, eh?" Naomi stood up, not even breaking a sweat. "That's always fun."

"Don't forget about me," a menacing voice hissed from the shadows.

"Me neither," a booming voice echoed from behind.

"I want to play with the Soul Reaper as well," another growled, emerging from behind a large rock.

They all surrounded her. Naomi felt stupid. She should have put up a barrier to conceal her spirit energy before she made camp. Now she'd have to deal with these ugly creatures.

"You guys got together and decided to throw me a surprise party. How sweet," Naomi gestured to her red cotton shorts and black t-shirt, pouting. The Hollow chuckled at her joke. "But clearly I'm a little under-dressed. And unfortunately for you guys-,"

Bright blue fire engulfed Naomi's body. The silver-white blade of her katana gleamed. Heavy, invisible pressure surrounded the Hollow, taken aback by the power of the Shinigami they ganged up on.

Naomi glared at the Hollow. "I'm not in the partying mood," she quipped before launching into the air with a roar of her own.

* * *

_Oh yeah, kicking some ass. _

_Forewarning: In this story, there will be a lot of gaps that will eventually be filled. Some with flashbacks, others with the interactions between characters. Don't waste your time thinking too much into things._

_Thank you reading :) Review if you please._


	3. Call Time

**Call Time**

* * *

Kensei Muguruma sat at his desk that morning doing his usual office work as the captain of the Ninth Division. He had only returned to his post six months ago and he could honestly say he didn't miss the stacks of reports he had to go through and signature every day. But it felt good to be back. Kensei was a Soul Reaper; he didn't belong in the Human World. So he would take the paper cuts if it meant not living in a dingy warehouse anymore, living off convenience store meals. He had his own space for the first time in a long time and he relished it.

He leaned back into his chair, enjoying the peace and quiet of always being the first one in the office. He looked at the digital clock on his desk, one of the few mementos he brought from the World of the Living. It was currently 7:15 AM; his squad members were supposed to report to duty at 7:45. The call time was much earlier than most other divisions. But since they acted as one of the Security Divisions and as the publishing house of the Seireitei Communication, Kensei felt the 9th Division needed more daylight hours.

He continued working, taking sips of coffee every then and again. Inhaling the strong brew, it amused him; he used to hate the stuff.

"_Come on," the raven-haired beauty beckoned the stubborn silver-haired man who glared at her and the cup of hot coffee she held precariously over his bare chest as she straddled his hips._

"_No, I hate that stuff. Now stop whining," he growled. His strong hands were hooked under her thighs, effectively holding his lover in place as she tended to bounce around once she had her morning coffee. She wore nothing but a black demi-bra and matching lace underwear, exposing her slight, athletic frame. Her long wavy hair was still damp from the shower she took earlier and a few strands stuck to her forehead. Her eyes, a shocking light gray, crinkled with exultation and her red lips were deliciously full. Kensei didn't tell her often enough but morning sure looked good on her._

"_How can you hate something you've never even had?" Naomi questioned irately. She put the coffee on the nightstand and pouting, placed her hands on her hips. He hated when she pouted; it reminded him of Mashiro and just thinking about Mashiro gave him a headache._

"_I have had it before; I hated it. Let it go," Kensei flicked her on the forehead and she slapped him on his chest. She hated it when he did that._

"_One of these days you're going to accidentally knock my head off my shoulders, Hulk," she patted his biceps for emphasis._

_Kensei rolled his eyes. "You're still stuck on last night's training session?"_

"_You put a crater in the ground. A huge fucking crater. Like the ones on the moon."_

"_Collateral damage," Kensei said with a shrug, slowly pulling the strap of her bra down. _

_She smacked his hand away. "Come on, try _my_ coffee. It's the best you'll ever have, I promise. I use the finest coffee beans imported all the way from South Am-,"_

_Kensei needed another distraction to get her off this coffee subject. He flipped them over so he was on top though he was careful not put his full weight on her. Naomi laughed as he began placing shallow kisses along her neck and collarbone._

"_We don't have time. I'm gonna be late for work," she moaned, weakly attempting to push the muscular man off her._

_Kensei groaned and laid his forehead on her chest, thinking. He wanted to keep his vixen in bed with him all day. An idea popped into his head._

"_I'll drink all the coffee you want if you play hooky with me today."_

_Naomi's smile widened, the dimple in her left cheek deepening and her eyes crinkled with delight. "Really?" she asked, placing a chaste kiss on his lips._

_Kensei nodded. Naomi squealed and somehow slid out from under him. She sprinted towards the bedroom door before turning in the doorway. She pointed at him seriously. "I want that cup empty when I return for some sweet lovin'." She did a weird hip thrusting move as she said the last few words and Kensei burst out laughing, throwing a pillow at her before she disappeared downstairs to call in sick with a sudden fever._

Her coffee had actually been really good.

Kensei clenched his jaw, shaking his head and resuming his work. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed like that.

* * *

One of the many duties of the 12th Division was to monitor Shinigami activity in and out of Seireitei. One man in particular, Toyonobu Onoda, was tasked with the duty of monitoring Fourth Seat Reed's return to Seireitei after her sabbatical. He was a short, sunless man with oily black hair and mild acne. He wore frameless rectangular glasses that magnified his black eyes, giving him a geeky appearance. His most remarking feature were his two front teeth that were significantly larger than the rest of his dentition. When Onoda left his lab the night before, all was well. Her vitals were normal. She had made significant progress; she would around arrive late morning/early afternoon at her current pace. He typed up his report and sent it directly to the Head Captain before heading to bed.

The next morning, in a very uncharacteristic move, Onoda came in late; his alarm apparently never went off. Which was odd in itself because he double-checked and triple-checked it every night. He hated tardiness. Anyway, arriving at the office around 10:30, Onoda immediately checked in on the fourth seat of the 1st Division. She hadn't moved from the location of the previous night. Onoda shrugged. Perhaps she slept in; she was close enough not to be in a hurry. Still, after setting up a notification that would inform him when she did arrive, he went about his other work. Time passed and soon he grew hungry. So Onoda took his hour long lunch break then stopped by his fellow division member's lab to chat. While chatting, his mind wandered back to his designated task. He had yet to receive a notification on his tablet that indicated her arrival. Onoda excused himself somewhat anxiously and returned to his own lab; it was 2:43. Quickly typing in his password, he logged in and checked on his ward.

His pearly skin turned even whiter as he read the monitor. Fourth Seat Reed's vitals were still up and normal, but her spiritual pressure was gone. She had disappeared. Stumbling, he burst out of his office and headed for Captain Kurotsuchi's lab.

* * *

Kensei stood to the side of the training grounds, watching Mashiro beat the shit out of the new recruits while Shuuhei hopelessly tried to reel her in. Having two lieutenants was one of the best decisions Kensei ever made as a captain. Especially two that complemented each other so well. Mashiro was tough and aggressive, perfect for whipping the division members into shape. But she was absolutely hopeless when it came to paperwork. Laziness took its toll on her when it came to days strictly in the office.

Shuuhei on the other hand, was a great worker. He came into the office every day with the mindset to get shit done and Kensei liked that. He also liked the fact that Shuuhei was willing to continue acting as coeditor-in-chief of Seireitei Communications. Literature had never been Kensei's shtick; he preferred dealing with the security duties of his division and making training regimens. But that's where Shuuhei failed; he was kind of a sissy. He believed in "positive reinforcement". Kensei didn't know what the hell that even implied. All he understood was these squad members were a sorry excuse for a protection detail. After he arrived in Soul Society with Mashiro in tow, he made it clear to them that they would become what the 9th Division once was; a force to be reckoned with.

In the last six months, he whipped these men and women into the soldiers they were meant to be. Polite, yet firm. Intellectual and combat-proficient. And always punctual. No one wanted to face Captain Muguruma arriving after call time. Shuuhei was amazed to see the 9th Division running so smoothly again.

Kensei looked on with interest when a huge guy, easily twice Kensei's size, successfully blocked a kick from Mashiro and even managed to counterattack, sending her flying twenty feet away. The other recruits applauded him; none of them had been able to land a hit on her all afternoon.

While he celebrated his perceived victory, Mashiro had gotten up, hazel eyes wide. She hadn't expected such a big guy to be so quick. No matter.

The silver-haired captain shook his head as he noticed the white mask forming on Mashiro's face and the giant too engrossed in his sudden popularity to notice. It happened quickly; one moment he was smiling at all his adoring fans. The next, he was soaring face-first through the training hall wall.

"Lieutenant Kuna!" Shuuhei stared at her in disbelief.

All the division members gaped in horror at Mashiro who shrugged. "What? It's wrong to hit a lady."

Kensei whistled to get their attention. "Okay. I think that's enough for today. Good job. I see a lot of potential in some of you. As for the rest of you; there's always tomorrow. Dismissed."

As they all dispersed, Kensei gave Mashiro a brief nod of respect. "Nice hit."

The green-haired woman beamed at her captain. "He had it coming. I mean who turns their back to their opponent in the middle of a fight?"

Kensei shrugged. "They gotta learn somehow."

A hell butterfly suddenly appeared and floated towards him.

"What now?" Kensei grumbled. Most of his paperwork was finished; it would be an early end to the workday. Reaching out for it to land on his hand, Kensei listened to the message intently.

When Mashiro saw her captain's shoulders go rigid and his face tighten into an unreadable mask, she frowned.

"Kensei? What is it? What does the message say?"

Kensei blinked, his face blank. "Captain's meeting. Fourth Seat Reed was apparently supposed to report hours ago. Now she's missing."

Mashiro gasped. "Naomi's missing?"

"What?" Shuuhei asked incredulously, appearing from helping the oaf to medical care.

"I don't have many details and I don't have time to explain," Kensei said, turning on his heel. "Shuuhei, I want you to assemble a search party of no more than three men. Pick the best guys we've got. I need you on standby to await my orders; be prepared to move out when I give word. Understood?"

Shuuhei nodded and disappeared immediately to begin his task. Mashiro pouted. "What about me? Naomi is my friend, Kensei! You know that!"

"Shut up!" he barked. "I do know! That's why you're coming with me. Let's go." Taking his leave, he flash-stepped towards the First Division.

Mashiro squealed with happiness and followed after him.

* * *

"Shinji, Rose," Kensei greeted his fellow Visored and captains as they met up at the First Division and together, headed towards the assembly hall, Mashiro, Lieutenant Kira and Lieutenant Hinamori falling in rank behind them.

"Kensei," Rose responded absentmindedly, a small frown plastered on his face.

"Kensei, my good friend," Shinji replied pleasantly. "It's been a minute since I've seen you. How are you on this lovely evening? Everything well?"

Kensei's eyes narrowed as he stalked slightly ahead of Shinji and Rose. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Shinji smiled widely, regarding his friend. Kensei's body language always gave him away. His face was stone. His gloved fists unconsciously flexed and his arms were stiff at his sides. Kensei Muguruma was thoroughly agitated.

"That's excellent. I'm glad you're doing well in spite of the circumstances," Shinji quipped, struggling to hold back a grin.

"What the hell are you playing at, Shinji?" Kensei inquired warningly low.

Lieutenant Kira was alerted by Kensei's rapid and dangerous increase in reiatsu. He had come to get along with his new captain pretty well despite their obvious differences in demeanor. Where Kira was high-strung, Rose was laidback, almost nonchalant about his duties as captain. Naomi described him as calming when Kira inquired her about his new superior and Kira agreed wholeheartedly after getting to know Captain Ōtoribashi.

But the other two… Kira wasn't so sure about. Captain Hirako was…odd to say the least; Even Momo agreed with that sentiment. They were still testing the waters with each other.

And though Shuhei told him that he wasn't bad at all, Kira still found the bulky captain outright intimidating. The closest thing he'd seen to a smile on his face was a creepy grin like the one Captain Zaraki wore when he was enjoying a battle. Those men were frighteningly similar and not surprisingly, they got along well.

Shinji's smirk widened. "I'm not implying anything. It's just good to see you're holding up well even though your girl-."

Kensei grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and slammed him against the wall. "Even though what, Shinji?" he growled at the scrawny man, his eyes threatening death. Only Shinji could get under his skin about Naomi like that. Shinji and Naomi hardly got along when she and Kensei were together before she died and came to the Soul Society. He was probably the happiest person in all Seireitei to hear that she was missing.

"Kensei!" Rose gasped.

Lieutenant Hinamori took a defensive stance, ready to defend her captain. Mashiro scowled at the petite girl, hopping front of her. "Don't even think about it, munchkin," she threatened, bouncing on her toes.

Lieutenant Kira grabbed the hilt of his sword but he was confused as to what action to take. Help Captain Ōtoribashi separate the men or make sure the girls didn't pull each other's hair out.

A loud whistle silenced the commotion. Captain Kyoraku was suddenly next to Kensei, a pacifying hand on his shoulder. "Captain Muguruma," he greeted kindly, as if they were all headed to a picnic.

"Shunsui," Kensei replied, his eyes not leaving Shinji's smug face.

"I'm not sure what this is about; but we have more pressing matters to attend to. So why don't you let go of Captain Hirako and deal with whatever issue you have later- with words," he added.

Unwillingly, Kensei released Shinji from his hold and without a word, continued on his way to the meeting hall. He ignored the disdainful looks of Captain Kuchiki and Captain Soi Fon who witnessed the event.

"Are you alright, Shinji?" a concerned Captain Ukitake asked him.

Shinji straightened his cravat and nodded, smiling.

"Never been better."

* * *

_I really enjoy writing chapters like these because as the writer, I get to interpret the way I think the characters are when we don't see them in the manga. Doing the minor characters is particularly fun to me; they have such interesting personas and they don't get nearly enough pages._

_Dear Shinji fans, please don't get butthurt over the way I'm portraying him. I don't have a personal problem with him but he is a source of conflict throughout the story. I don't think the dialogue I've given him is out of character._

_Anyway, if you read, taking the time to **review** the story as well would be greatly appreciated._


	4. Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

* * *

All the captains and lieutenants were gathered outside the meeting hall, waiting for the Head Captain to arrive. With the exception of Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi who were off on a mission and Lieutenant Hisagi, everyone was present. It was past six and the sun had already began to set.

The captains and lieutenants talked amongst themselves, some showing more concern than others.

Captain Soi Fon's face seemed like it was edged into a permanent scowl and her arms were folded tightly across her chest.

Captain Kuchiki held his usual disinterested demeanor as he waited patiently for the Captain Commander's arrival.

Captain Kyoraku was not his jovial self as he and Captains Ukitake and Unohana were involved in a seemingly grievous conversation.

Lieutenants Abarai chatted with Lieutenant Iba and Captain Komamura.

Every once in a while Mashiro would throw a glare towards Momo who stood with Lieutenants Matsumoto, Ise and Kira.

She hovered close to her captain who leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and jaw clenched tightly as Rose tried to calm and reassure his temperamental friend.

"I wouldn't bother too much with Shinji; he was just being-," he paused and turned to look at the blonde-haired man who was chatting enthusiastically to a seemingly irritated Captain Kurotsuchi. "-Shinji."

Kensei looked up at him, a bewildered expression on his face. "What?"

Rose sighed. "Have you even heard to a word I've said?"

Kensei shook his head and returned to his thoughts. Rose put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Thinking about Naomi, huh?" Rose inquired knowingly.

Mashiro grinned as Kensei's face turned red. "Aw, he is! He's thinking about her soft hair!"

Kensei scowled at her. "No, I am not thinking about her hair. Or her. I'm just thinking. And keep it down by the way!"

Rose and Mashiro exchanged knowing glances but said nothing else.

Captain Kuchiki observed their discussion with interest.

* * *

The doors to the assembly hall opened and they all filed in, taking their usual places. The captains stood at attention and their lieutenants kneeled as the Head Captain made his procession, his lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe in step behind him. It was all a bit nostalgic for the old captains who had recently returned to their posts. 110 years ago, they stood in their same spots surrounded by, for the most part, much different faces.

As the doors slowly closed, Captain Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto lifted and knocked his cane to the ground.

"Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 Court Guard Squads. I thank you all for gathering on such short notice. I would not have called you all in tonight if I believed this did not constitute as an urgent problem."

Respectful silence.

"Captain Kurotsuchi would be able to better explain the situation. Captain Kurotsuchi, if you please."

The captain of the 12th Division stepped forward, a bored expression on his face.

"As I'm sure some of you with a friendly relation to her know, Fourth Seat Naomi Reed was supposed to return from her sabbatical this morning. Toyonobu Onoda, an unseated officer in my division, was tasked with tracking her progress. According to his report, Fourth Seat Reed left Sagara in District 12 of South Rukongai Saturday morning, making slow but steady progress. She settled for the night and at some point her vitals spiked."

"And what exactly does that indicate, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Captain Kyoraku asked.

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? Unless she decided to go for a midnight run, it's clear that she was attacked; an ambush most likely," he said almost excitedly.

Kensei's fist clenched and unclenched as Captain Kurotsuchi spoke. The word _ambush _had a particular effect on him, especially the thought of it happening to Naomi. He hadn't fully accepted that she was a Shinigami now and a damn strong one. She would always seem like a fragile human to him.

"Then what?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even. Shinji smirked.

"Well, she lived," Captain Kurotsuchi sighed disappointedly. That woman was particularly durable. He had wanted to dissect her since she first arrived in Soul Society.

Kensei glared at him and Shinji stifled his laughter.

"The fourth seat made a brief stop in District 8 and when Onoda left his lab that evening, she was in District 3. Her anticipated time of arrival was noon. When he checked back in the next morning, Fourth Seat Reed was still in District 3. He believed she was resting in due to her proximity to Seireitei. He then took his lunch break and he returned, the fourth seat's vitals were normal and her spiritual pressure was gone. He could not locate her. This was at 2:45 this afternoon."

"Coming from District 3 is two hour-max journey without hohō," Captain Ukitake interjected. "She should have been home hours ago. Captain-Commander. With all due respect, why did you wait until know to call this meeting? She could be in serious danger."

Captain Kurotsuchi began laughing maniacally. "Are you even paying attention? Her vitals are normal! She is under no duress; what danger could she possibly be in?"

"Captain Kurotsuchi is right, Captain Ukitake; this is a missing person's case. We need to send out search parties, not military units."

Captain Soi Fon snorted and snickered. The lieutenants stared at her in surprise; they had never seen Captain Soi Fon laugh in amusement. Only cockiness. Her fellow captains looked her warily.

The Head Captain turned his gaze onto her. "What is it you find so entertaining, Captain Soi Fon? Please share."

"With all due respect Captain Commander," the petite captain started, "I find it comical that you called an emergency meeting, with captains _and _lieutenants for a measly fourth seat."

"You are out of line Soi Fon," Captain Ukitake said lowly, scowling at the woman.

"These new captains are something else," Shinji muttered to Rose.

"That was an unnecessary comment," Captain Hitsuguya chided.

Kensei held his tongue but he was incensed. He disliked Captain Soi Fon; he found her to be quite arrogant. He held Captain Kuchiki in the same regard though he appreciated the man's silent way of going about it.

"Wait a minute! Let me finish!" Captain Soi Fon barked.

The temperature in the room was steadily rising, as if warning Captain Soi Fon to think out her next few words carefully.

"Disregard your personal feelings and listen," she demanded, stepping forward. "When was the last time we attended an emergency meeting for a missing _seated _officer who wasn't a captain or lieutenant?"

"Captain Unohana, you're the most senior captain here. Have you ever been called by the Head Captain to a meeting about a numbered seated officer?"

Captain Unohana looked pensive for a moment. "No," she admitted.

"Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku?" Soi Fon looked at them expectantly.

They shook their head somberly.

"What's your point?" Kensei asked crisply.

"My _point _is: you are all overreacting. And letting your personal feelings for that girl cloud our judgment," she declared. "Maybe that fourth seat is missing; _or…_ maybe she just doesn't want to be found. Would you want to come back after everyone watched you lose your marbles?"

"That is enough, Captain Soi Fon!" the head captain barked.

"You talk of disregarding personal feelings when yours words reek of your utter disdain for the fourth seat," Captain Komamura said with disgust.

"I'm just saying," Captain Soi Fon bravely continued. "She fell off her rocker though I do understand her appeal. Then again, girls like her are a dime a dozen."

The weight of the head captain's spiritual pressure came crashing down on Captain, sending her to her knees and suffocating her. Everyone looked on in shock at the head captain's outburst.

Kensei grinned in satisfaction.

"I said _enough _child_," _the old repeated threateningly. "Your mouth has run far too much this evening, Captain Soi Fon and I will not tolerate one more second of your slandering! Now listen here-"

The doors to the hall swung open and the person of interest casually strode in.

* * *

Gray-silvery eyes examining the scene before her, Naomi's cool-as-a-cucumber attitude shattered when everyone's gaze fell on her. Her face immediately flushed red.

When she entered the First Division barracks 10 minutes ago, she was surprised to see it was mostly empty. Figuring everyone had left for their festivities of the night, she was happy. She wanted avoid any commotion her return might make. Naomi planned to report to the head captain, go straight to bed and start work bright and early the next morning. Unfortunately, he wasn't in office when she arrived. So Naomi went to his house within the barracks. His cleaning lady told her he wasn't home either.

Thinking it through, Naomi figured he might in the meeting hall. Upon arriving at the meeting hall, the guards informed her about the meeting taking place. They did a double-take after realizing who they were speaking to. Somehow Naomi convinced them not to interrupt the assembly and allow her to eavesdrop instead.

After listening to Soi Fon's rant, Naomi was ready to storm in there and give the Stealth Force Leader a piece of her mind. Feeling the captain commander's angry reiatsu, Naomi waited happily before entering the room.

Now everyone was staring at her. Some of them looked happy to see her. Others looked surprised and annoyed.

"What?" Naomi asked, feeling self-conscious. She dropped her heavy sack to the ground and it landed with a thud. Her black hair was tied up into a messy knot on her head. She wore a beige sleeveless shirt with a blue denim jacket tied around her waist and matching denim shorts. Black hiking boots laced up her feet. She looked like she had been traveling for days instead a few hours.

Kensei tried his hardest not to stare so obviously. It had been months since he'd last seen her and just as long since he'd seen her so healthy. Her tall, slender frame was rippled with soft muscle from her shoulders to her long legs. She looked alert but not in a kooky way. Her skin was dewy with the humid air of a summer night.

Kensei thought she looked beautiful; though he was annoyed at her flippant attitude.

"Fourth Seat Reed," her captain addressed her by her full title, indicating that he meant business.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry!" Naomi quickly kneeled to the ground bowing her head in respect. Captain Yamamoto pursed his lips together, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. That wasn't what he was going for. Formalities were the furthest thing from his mind now that she appeared apparently safe and sound in front of his eyes.

"Stand up," he commanded and Naomi did as she was told. Everyone was still looking at her and it made her very uncomfortable.

"Please, tell us your whereabouts since ten this morning."

Naomi frowned. She didn't expect that question. "I woke up somewhere in District 3 after I set up camp there last night. Then I made my way straight here."

"That's quite interesting. Because my division was assigned to track you as you made your way back to Seireitei," Captain Kurotsuchi interjected.

"I figured as much," Naomi murmured. That's why this was such a big deal. They didn't trust her enough to make it back like a big girl.

He smirked at her. Their love/hate relationship was still fresh as ever. "So explain why sometime between 10:30 this morning and 3 in the afternoon, your spiritual signature vanished. What happened or where did you go between these points in time?"

It was the million dollar question. A means to an ends. Even the most indifferent towards Naomi and the situation at hand were curious. A year ago this would have not been as big of a deal as it was now. But after "The Episode" she suffered four months ago, her rationality would be questioned until she proved the stability of her mental health.

"It's stupid," Naomi mumbled under her breath, digging her boot into the ground.

"Speak up," her captain ordered. All the Shinigami focused their attention on their returned comrade.

Naomi sighed. _Soul King kill me now._

"I thought that you were... going to be mad at me. Cause I was supposed to get here Sunday night, right? Well, I left Saturday morning right on schedule I swear. Well, I didn't make it as far as I wanted Saturday so I figured I would get a really early start Sunday morning. But then in the middle of the night five Hollow ambushed me so obviously I had to kill them. Well then like ten more Hollow appeared out of nowhere and they wouldn't stop chasing me so eventually I had to kill all of those, too. So as you can imagine, after all that traveling and killing in one day, I was _exhausted. _I found a village and bandaged my wounds-,"

"You don't look injured to me," Captain Soi Fon quipped.

Naomi glanced at the shorter woman still reeling from the effect of her captain's monstrous power. She smiled pleasantly, flashing her dimple. "Captain Soi Fon. It's great to see you. I didn't notice you there, still on the floor wheezing for air."

Captain Soi Fon glowered at her. Snickers could be heard around the room. Tiny smirks flashed on some of the most stoic of faces.

"Oh, and you wanted to see where I'm hurt?" Naomi began lifting up her shirt. The faces of most of the male lieutenants and Lieutenant Ise turned red; Renji alone wolf whistled, prompting a glare from the tinted face of his captain.

Shinji openly looked on; he didn't like Naomi but he couldn't deny that she had an attractive figure.

Kensei simply stared the ground, his lips pressed together tightly.

Captain Ukitake waved his hands to dispel her, his pale face the color of a ripened cherry. "That's not necessary, Naomi! We believe you. And Captain Unohana will give you check on you later. Just continue- with the story!" he added for clarification.

Naomi rolled her eyes. _You'd think I didn't have a bra on._

"Anyway after that, I ended up getting to District 3 super late Monday night and I thought it would be lame to wake everyone up so late so I slept there, woke up sometime after 10, then headed straight here."

Kensei's amber eyes narrowed at her words.

"That still doesn't explain why your reiatsu disappeared, Naomi," Captain Kyoraku reminded her.

Naomi scoffed. "Weren't you listening? I was _late. _Captain Soi Fon was actually right about something:I didn't _want_ to be detected. So I used the underground passageways. And while I was under the ground, I got lost. I was running around in the sewers _all day _that's why I'm just now popping up. If I had known there would be such an uproar about my whereabouts, I would've just walked through the _freakin' front door_!" Naomi huffed, finished with her explanation.

Silence.

"You have got to be kidding me," Captain Soi Fon whispered incredulously.

Mashiro began giggling uncontrollably. Kensei turned and gave her look but was unable to contain the small grin that spread across his own face. Her explanation was unnecessarily long and rambling. But that response was quintessentially Naomi. She hated to be caught being late because she hated being scolded. She had been like this for as long as Kensei could remember. Getting lost to avoid getting caught unless it was on her own terms. Typical.

She was like her old self again. Kensei and everyone else could see it.

Eventually the laughter spread across the room and even her captain had a chuckle or two.

"Meeting dismissed. Welcome home, Fourth Seat Reed," the head captain declared, the thud of his cane echoing the sentiment.

* * *

_That was a lot of dialogue and very little action. Doing a gathering of characters is hard; describing everyone and what they are doing is very time-consuming. I think I did a good job though. One of things I'm still learning as a writer is leaving things to the readers' imagination. So if I don't describe every character's action, it's because I feel you all know these characters as well as I do, so just guess what their actions or reactions would be. Sorting through useless and necessary details is hard._

_Okay that was lot so I'm just gonna shut up now haha. Thank you for reading and **please review :)**_**  
**


	5. The Accountant

**The Accountant**

Naomi dragged her feet as she made her way into the 1st Division offices the next morning, tiredly greeting and conversing with her fellow division members along the way. It was right back to work after her four month "vacation"; Renji used that word repeatedly when they spent time catching up. She didn't want to go out because it was a weeknight but Rangiku Matsumoto happened to be the most convincing person in the world.

"Just a few drinks!" Rangiku promised. It was never just a few drinks when one went out with Rangiku. Of course, Renji and Tetsuzaemon wanted to tag along. Ikkaku and Yumichika popped up eventually. Rukia even joined in on the festivities. She and Naomi had become good friends after Aizen defected through Captain Ukitake who thought they would get along.

Naomi asked Momo, her former comrade in the Fifth Division to join but she said something about not feeling up to it. Their captain didn't allow Mashiro and Shuuhei to go because it was "too early in the week to get shitfaced drunk".

Naomi asked Chojiro if he wanted to come but he politely declined.

Smartly, Naomi drank very little and spent most of the evening answering questions about her sabbatical; where she went, what she did, who'd she see, etc. Still, the weekend had taken its toll on her. So when she opened the door to her office, she almost burst into tears looking at the mountain of paperwork on her desk. The fifth seat, Ryuichi Takabe, a handsome man with brown hair and dark blue eyes, casually strolled up next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It was a lot worst before Chojiro got in here and did some damage."

Naomi shook her head in disbelief. _This was after he came in? _

"I should have stayed on vacation."

* * *

Not one to back down from a challenge, Naomi's entire morning was spent organizing and filing away the various documents that littered her desk.

The first division was different from other divisions in its function. While divisions 2-13 handled their own administrative tasks within their squad, The 1st Division was in charge of running the Seireitei as a whole. It made sense; their captain was the Head Captain and he was the direct link to Central 46. And it wasn't really a hassle to handle both their own and the other squad's business. They were a model district; efficient in every way. Captain Kyoraku genuinely believed no other squad could manage the Seireitei as well as the first.

All seated officers held some administrative responsibility. And the higher seat, the more important the job was deemed to be. And Naomi's, to her chagrin when she became the fourth seat, was finance. Back in the human world, Naomi had been a journalist. She liked reading and writing; it was a good outlet for her. Math and science had _never _been something she was particularly fond of. While she aced her history tests and received accolades for her English papers, she only did well enough in math to pass. The only reason she did well in this position is because from a relatively young age she had to manage a household and she took a few accounting classes in college to help her.

By lunch however, Naomi could begin to see the desk top mahogany again. All she did was put everything that didn't warrant her current attention away. She was glad it was mid-June; that meant the divisions had yet to send in their financial reports. All that left were budget request sign-offs and semi-annual club financing reports. Easy stuff.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in."

Chojiro strolled in carrying a bunch of folders and placed them on one of the towers of paper. Naomi groaned. "Please tell me those aren't what I think they are."

"Yep. The balance sheets for last month." He chuckled at her disheartened expression.

"Kill me now. I think I'll be neck deep in paperwork through next week. This is stressing me out."

Chojiro's gold eyes widened and he quickly snatched the folders back. "Oh, then don't worry about it! I'll do them myself later."

"What are you talking about?" Naomi shook her head. "I can do it."

"No, really it's fine! The last thing we want is for you to be stressed so-,"

"We?" Naomi asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, myself and the captain really. And everyone else in the squad," he stammered. "It's just that most stress stems from the workplace and we just want you stay healthy and relaxed and-,"

"Chojiro," Naomi interrupted. He gulped. Naomi did not typically take advice well. She saw it as "dressed up criticism.

She smiled and Chojiro blinked, not knowing how to react to her reaction. "Thank you," she walked over to him and grabbed the folders. "But I can handle it."

"Are you-you sure?" he asked. "Cause really it's no problem."

Naomi nodded. "Yep. I've got this. It's only stressful because I just got back and I'm a little tired. Once I get back into the swing of things, I'll be good."

"Okay, if you insist," Chojiro said hesitantly.

"Yep, I insist. Go do your own job."

Chojiro smiled and began leaving her office. "Oh, I almost forgot! The captain would like for you to join him for lunch."

"Can't," Naomi replied briskly.

"And why not?"

"I have to use my lunch break to see Captain Unohana about my injury. Shouldn't take too long but I probably won't be back until a little bit after lunch is over.

"Ah, okay. I will let him know."

"Thank you!" Naomi winked at him, making him realize she knew he completed most of her work for her.

Chojiro nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Naomi shook her head. Chojiro was the nicest guy she knew. She didn't understand why he didn't have more friends.

She looked at the clock. It was almost 12:30. She would have to use flash-step if she wanted to make it to the fourth division by 1. Sighing she went to the balcony of her office and hopped onto the guardrail before flying towards her destination.

* * *

"Are you in any pain?" Captain Unohana asked concernedly as Naomi undid the top half of her shihakusho.

"Yeah, it's not too bad though. I'd say mild to moderate. It's more of a burning sensation really."

"Hm. Could you have possibly been scratched with some sort of chemical compound?"

Naomi thought for a moment. That night was such a blur even though it was only a few days ago. Like a dream. She could hardly remember when she actually got away. "I'm not sure."

"Okay then. Let's have a look. Please lay down on your stomach." Naomi did as she was told.

Captain Unohana turned on the lamp above the examining bed. Her hands grazed over the raised, scabby flesh. Naomi shivered at her touch. "Are my hands too cold? Actually you do seem a bit warm."

Naomi chuckled. "I'm always running a little hot. "Part of my soul is made of fire," she cracked, referring to her zanpakuto's pyro-based abilities. "It's no big deal."

"I don't think we should take chances here, Miss Reed," Captain Unohana addressed her as such to indicate she didn't find her joke amusing. "If something has been injected into your bloodstream it could cause something much worse than a fever."

"Like what?"

Captain Unohana pursed her lips. "I'm not sure. I will order a blood test to see if there is anything abnormal."

Naomi frowned. She didn't think it could be something that serious. She just wanted to be healed and be on her way. She skipped breakfast and was starving at the moment. Plus she _detested _needles.

She sighed. It's not like she had a choice in the matter. Captain Unohana wouldn't let Naomi leave her presence in less than perfect condition.

"You better get the straps ready, doc."

* * *

Shuuhei delivered a quick knock on his captain's door.

"Come in," a gruff voice responded.

Shuuhei entered the office of his new captain. It didn't take a long time for the two to get assimilated with each other. Shuuhei idolized the man who saved his life as a child. So much so he got the "69" tattoo that was forever ingrained into his face. Though people often cracked jokes about the wanton nature of it (Naomi promised she would _never _let him live it down), it became even more awkward when he came face to face with the person who inspired it. So much so, Kensei opted to take the standard uniform when he returned to his post to cover up his own pride.

"I can cover up my chest; you were stupid enough to get it on your face," was the reasoning he provided at the time. Even Mashiro, the silliest woman he had ever met, ridiculed him for it.

But Shuuhei believed the reason they got along well was because of two reasons. One, they were both hard workers and two, he wasn't Mashiro. He still didn't quite understand how the dynamic between them worked before but it was clear they were very close, despite Captain Muguruma's constant rumblings about his long time right-hand.

"I just wanted to let you know I was heading out. Did you need anything before I leave, sir?"

"Nope. You did good today, kid. Go home and get some rest. Maybe eat something, you've been looking a little underweight lately."

Shuuhei resisted the urge to scowl at his captain, a beast of a man. Every male in Seireitei wanted to know his training regimen but was too afraid to approach him.

"Not everyone can look like they've lifted weights since birth," Shuuhei muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Kensei asked, eyebrow raised. Damn.

"I said, uh," Shuuhei stammered, his voice fearful, "I'm going to get some food right now. Naomi and I have got a date."

Kensei's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. Shuuhei gulped. _Idiot! Way too much info!_

"Uh, not like a real date! Or anything romantic," he began rambling. "She was grumbling about being in the office all day and I thought I'd buy us dinner we can eat together. But really, it's not a date. It's just something we enjoy doing together. We used to do it all the time on the day befo-,"

"Shuuhei," his captain interrupted in an even voice. "Shut up. I don't care what you do in your personal life. I don't need nor do I want to know about it? Understood?"

Shuuhei nodded once. "Yes, sir! Um, I'll be leaving now." Kensei _hnn'd _and Shuuhei all but hightailed out of there.

No matter how hard he tried, Kensei could no longer focus on the work in front of him. His brain kept thinking about Shuuhei and Naomi on a _date. _Shuuhei sputtered like an idiot when he tried to explain himself. Like he was trying to cover up the truth. But why had he been so anxious to do. Kensei and Naomi agreed before when he got back to Soul Society not to tell anyone of their previous relationship. They both believed it would only complicate things. But what if she told Shuuhei? They were rather close. It wouldn't be crazy to believe they were secretly involved with one another. Maybe she told him about her relationship with Kensei and didn't want Kensei to know she told him. Or maybe…

**Oh enough for Christ's sake! **Tachikaze interjected into Kensei's relentless questioning. **They clearly aren't dating but even if they were, what of it? You two broke it off years ago! Enough with your constant obsessing over this woman!**

_I'm not obsessing over her! I know it's over between us. Believe me, it's overdone. I just don't want to find out my new lieutenant, who is very good at his job, is an untrustworthy rat!_

**Keep fooling yourself with that bullshit, bozo. I'm part of your soul. I have an intimate first look at the state of your person. Falling in love with that woman has changed you. The sooner you admit it, the easier it will be easier to finally move on.**

_Shut. The. Fuck. Up._

Forcefully, he pushed his zanpakuto out of his head.

As much as he didn't want to, he found himself mulling over his sword's words. It was true that right before she died, the two had parted ways with intentions of a permanent separation. It had got to be too much: she was a human with the common human need to advance far in a relatively short lifespan. Despite her protesting otherwise, it was clear she wanted to be married and start a family. And she deserved all of that. But Kensei could give none of that to her in his previous position. He lived in a warehouse. He could never become a legal citizen because he was never born so that took marriage out of the question. And he was half-Hollow, half-Soul which meant he could never give her children.

They were together for several years, but towards the end it became glaringly obvious that their relationship would not last in the long-run. So he let her go. He told her to find someone that could give her everything she ever wanted; because it could not be him.

Though at the time, he wished he had worded it differently than he did so they could've skipped the screaming match that put the final nail in the coffin.

Somehow, Kensei coped with the breakup by acting as if it was her fault. All he felt was anger and he could handle anger; he relished that anger. But when she died, something inside him broke. Naomi was the only woman Kensei ever loved. None had even come close to causing the storm of emotions Naomi made him feel. He never felt more vulnerable, more fearful, and yet so contented than when he was with her. Falling in love was the most conflicting situation ever. And still deep down, he held onto the smallest hope that somehow, through fate, they would be reunited.

And now they were. Sort of.

But fate had a fucked up way of delivering on its inquiries.

* * *

Naomi yawned and pinched her fingers the bridge of her nose. Her first day back had been utterly exhausting and she had barely begun to crack her workload. It was a little past 11. She never stayed so late in her own office. She only did when she was helping out Shuuhei with his chief editor duties. Yawning again, she stared the balance sheet on her desk until the numbers began to blur. Just as she began to nod off, the door to her office swung open. She quickly snapped alert but relaxed when she saw it only her good friend, Shuuhei. The smell of food entered her nostrils and her mouth began to water.

"I thought you'd might be hungry," he said with a smile.

Naomi grinned gratefully at her pal. "Shuuhei: I might be in love with you."

She failed to notice Shuuhei's flush faced as she jumped and threw her arms around his neck before hungrily snatching the bags out of his hands and stuffing her face full of food.

* * *

_What did you all think of how I organized the 1st Division? I just thought it'd be something cool to add, plus I don't think it's too ludicrous._

_So this is chapter 5. I want the first five chapters to set up most of the conflict in the story. I'm thinking of breaking it up into parts to help me remain organized in how I develop the story. I imagine it ending when the this last arc ends. _

_I haven't had any reviews so far and that's okay. I understand it can take a minute for a story to catch on. I'll still be continuing it as long as I get writer's block. **But real quick: constructive criticism really does mean a lot me. So if you read and you like it, just hit the review button and let me know what you think. It would be much appreciated.**_

_As for what's next, expect a more intimate look at the relationship between Kensei and Naomi via flashbacks galore. Naomi's combat abilities will be put on full-display. And more information on the mental episode she suffered that resulted with her sabbatical._

_Well, that's it for now. Thank you so much for reading!_


	6. In the Shadows

**In the Shadows**

The next few weeks flew by. The normality that Naomi craved ever since she returned was slowly becoming her reality again. The whisperings everywhere she went subsided. People stopped giving her weird looks; their hopes that she might crack again dissipated. She found burying herself in numbers quite comforting so her workload soon became manageable again. Not only that, but her injury healed up without any scarring.

One of the things she missed was writing; she used to write articles all the time for _Seireitei Communication. _Shuuhei tried to convince her to start contributing again but she was determined to avoid Kensei for as long as she possibly could. It was a very awkward situation for them both, his returning to Soul Society. It took her completely surprise and at the time in her fragile state, she did not really react well. In fact, he was partly the reason she was sent on her sabbatical. Naomi still felt horribly guilty for what she did to him and she wasn't ready at all to come face-to-face with her former lover.

So to fill the void that writing left, Naomi dedicated herself to her training. She was determined to become Captain Ukitake's lieutenant within the next five years. She spent nearly all of her sabbatical training and she never felt stronger. It helped that her relationship with her zanpakuto, Da-Ku Fenikkusu, had also improved. Mostly because he started being a lot nicer to her for some reason.

After finishing her work for the evening, Naomi headed to the training hall and spent a few hours working on various skills, primarily perfecting a new sword technique. Taking a seat on the ground, she placed her _daishō _across her lap. Closing her eyes, she felt the physical world drift away as she entered her inner dimension. Snapping her eyes open, she found herself in the familiar setting of a grand Roman coliseum overlooking a cliff. The sky was cloudless; a vast expanse of blood red. The waves crashing against the cliff were a menacing black ink. When she entered the inner world for the first time, it freaked her out that this was actually a plane within her soul. She would never have described herself as a dark person. It was mostly due to the nature of her zanpakuto, the Dark Phoenix. As his name indicated, he was not a fan of light so he took some liberties with the interior design.

Naomi was walking towards the large tunnel where she knew her zanpakuto spirit would be dwelling when a sudden cold breeze made her pause.

Observing eyes narrowed from inside the tunnel.

_That's…odd, _Naomi thought suspiciously. _It's never cold here._

The atmosphere of this dimension was usually tropical. Naomi had never felt chilly there once.

"So you felt it?" a deep voice inquired from the shadow of the tunnel.

"That breeze? What is _it, _exactly_?"_

A human figure emerged from the darkness, his arms crossed tightly over his muscular chest and his lips pursed tightly. He was much shorter than Naomi, only 5'3 in height. His skin was gray and covered in various tattoos of the tribal and demonic variety. Long, slicked-back dark hair fell to his hips. He was shirtless, only wearing a pair of black leather pants and black combat boots. His eyes were like a raven's: beady and completely obsidian. His threatening appearance contrasted greatly with his manner and speech which was nearly always proper and calm.

"I am not sure," he confessed gravely. "But I fear we have an invader."

"Invader?" Naomi repeated incredulously. "But that would mean it came from outside. I haven't come into contact with anything besides other soul reapers since I've been home-,"

"What about the Hollow you encountered before you arrived? You were injured by one, no?" Da-Ku Fenikkusu questioned.

"I mean, yeah but that was like a month ago. I've already healed," Naomi reminded him.

"You lost a day."

"What?"

"You lost a day. On your return when you were giving your reasoning, you said it was Tuesday but it was Monday."

"So what? I got mixed up. It was an honest mistake."

"Only it wasn't a mistake," Da-Ku Fenikkusu gave her a knowing look and began circling her slowly. "For you, it was Tuesday. On the night you fought those Hollow, I have reason to believe that you fell into a trap."

Naomi shook her head. "That's impossible. I remember, it was a straight shoot back. I killed those things then found a cave and went to sleep. Then I woke up and took the shortcut since it was close-"

"-You took that path even after the gypsy warned you of its looming threat?" he asked angrily.

"Umi? She's a crackpot. And she's full of it! I went that way and nothing happened. Besides, if something did happen, you would have seen it, right?"

Da-Fu Fenikkusu paused. Naomi raised an eyebrow. "You were watching over me, weren't you?"

He cleared his throat. "I flew ahead of you as you left Sagara to scope out the area the prophet warned of."

"Well, did see you anything?"

"I did not," he revealed, frowning.

"Then why are we still having this conversation? You're a bird so you have like super-vision, right? If you didn't see anything-,"

He hissed and the tattoos on his body began shifting. "Fool! Just because you cannot see something does not mean it is not there!" he boomed. "Do not underestimate my intuition; you have made that mistake time and time again, girl! And you have paid dearly for it every time!"

Blue flames erupted from his body and he glowered at her. As calm as he usually was, when he was angry, Da-Fu Fenikkusu was a deadly creature.

Naomi stood her ground, glaring right back at her zanpakuto.

"Relax," she barked, "I'm not disregarding your almighty intuition."

His glare did not falter.

Naomi sighed. "Look. You're right. I don't really remember what happened after I took the shortcut or how I got to the third district. It's been a few weeks and my memory is foggy, at best," she admitted. "But I'm _fine. _For the first time in a long time, I'm _fine. _Everything is normal again. People have finally stopped looking at me like I'm a ticking time bomb. I understand that you're worried. But if there is a threat, let's just wait until they make an actual appearance. Let me be happy until then. Please?" Naomi gave him a pathetic, pleading look.

The flames around Da-Ku Fenikkusu dissipated and his tattoos were immobilized once more. He nodded in grudging acceptance of his master's wish. He knew how much she craved stability, especially after her subsequent survival of Aizen's attack knocking her mind off balance. Even more fearsome than that man's power and knowledge was his manipulation prowess. He nearly destroyed Naomi without ever laying a finger on her.

"All I ask is that you keep a sharp eye out," her zanpakuto demanded.

Naomi chuckled. "Isn't that what I have you for?"

He stared at her stone faced and Naomi paled. "Ok, ok, I get it. This is serious. I promise I'll be more perceptive."

She began walking out of the coliseum and towards the edge of the cliff, Da-Ku Fenikkusu following close behind. She stopped at the edge and gazed into the murky water below. She turned to face him. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

He nodded once.

Naomi spread her arms wide and began to fall backwards. As she fell, she suddenly remembered something she wanted to ask.

"Oh hey, one of these days you need to teach me bankai!" she exclaimed before sailing off the cliff. She could've sworn she saw a small smirk on his face before hitting the pitch black surface.

* * *

Naomi's eyes flew open with a gasp of breath. She hated that leaving her inner world was such a hassle. Slowly she stood up, her legs a bit wobbly from being still for so long. Yawning, she cracked her neck and headed towards the hot springs to soothe her achy muscles.

Submerging herself under the water, Naomi let the warmth of the spring water soak deep into her core. And while she was underwater, she contemplated the situation at hand. It bothered her that she couldn't remember what happened that night. She could recall events from her childhood clear as day but not something that happened a couple of weeks ago. But why? Every time she tried think back to it, it was like she was being blocked from recollecting it.

Emerging from the water, Naomi panted in need of air. She was dabbing some water from her eyes when she recalled Da-Ku Fenikkusu's words. _I fear we have an invader._

_But that doesn't make any sense, _Naomi thought, shaking her head._ If that Hollow scratched with something why would it produce only the effect of me forgetting that one night? Can Hollow even do that…?_

Something cluttered to the ground and Naomi jumped, splashing water everywhere. "Hello?" she called out.

No response. Naomi frowned. Suddenly she felt watched, unsafe. Getting out of the spring, she quickly wrapped her towel around her body and grabbed her clothes and zanpakuto, deciding to get dressed in her apartment. Hugging the towel tightly to herself, she briskly made her way across the wooden floor in the bathhouse.

When she slid open the door, Naomi came to an abrupt stop. Her gray eyes widened at the sight before her.

"Ho-how," she choked, taking a step back. "Who are-," Taking another step, Naomi lost her footing and slipped, hitting the side of her head on a wooden bench with a loud _crack _and she fell to the ground, unconscious. A figure shrouded in darkness crouched over her, observing the pool of blood seeping from her head. A hand reached out and touched the liquid, covering their fingertips with it. Bringing their hand to their face, the figure licked the blood clean off their hand before smiling.

"Soon."

* * *

_Short, transitional chapter. I promise the next one will be a lot more meatier. Just wanted to introduce her zanpakuto and completely establish one of the main conflicts._

_This author's note is rather short as well._

_Adios. Please **review.**_


	7. Bed Rest

**Bed Rest**

The moment Kensei opened his eyes, he knew something was off. The first thing he noticed was his bedroom was very bright. That was odd because Kensei woke up every morning before the sun rose to train. Secondly, a head of messy black hair laid on his chest, the body attached to it entwined with his own.

A pale arm draped over his chest as Naomi breathed deeply. Kensei was frozen in confusion. When did Naomi get in his bed? When did she get in his house? And furthermore, why was she naked?

Kensei attempted to slide her off of him, to no avail. They were effectively tangled; it was how they always used to wake up.

Naomi stirred and lifted her head up to gaze sleepily at Kensei. She smiled. "Hi," she said simply.

That's all she had to say? _Hi!? _He couldn't believe this was real.

Kensei hesitantly ran his hair through her long black hair before cupping her cheek and stroking her face with his thumb. Naomi closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, a tiny content escaping her lips. She was definitely real.

Kensei's voice was hoarse when he asked, "Is this… are you…how… why are you here?"

Her gray eyes opened slowly as she looked at him, a tiny frown on her face.

"I just wanted to know," she whispered, placing her hand on his cheek.

"Why did you let me die?"

* * *

Kensei sat up, panting and drenched in sweat. His room was dark and the piercing sound of his alarm bounced off the walls. Rubbing his face tiredly with one hand, he smashed the alarm to pieces with his other fist. Getting up, he stumbled into his bathroom and turned on the sink, throwing cold water against his face to calm down his racing heart.

_It was just a nightmare, Muguruma. Relax, _he commanded himself. He scowled at his disheveled image in the mirror above the sink. His knuckles gripped the edges of the sink until they turned white. Finally, after a few minutes, his normal breathing pattern returned.

Kensei sighed. He used to have dreams like that all the time shortly after Naomi died. The theme of it was always the same but the location would change. And Naomi always asked: "Why did you let me die?". The guilt of having been able to save her but not doing so tormented him to this day. They occurred less as time went on but every once in a while they snuck up on him. Changing into his training garb, he knew a good workout would take his mind off of it.

Finishing the rest of his _zōsui _soup, Kensei put the bowl aside and eagerly started on his _yakitori, _his favorite meal. He was spending his lunch break in his office as usual. The second he got to the office, he was swamped with work and he was grateful. More work meant he would be distracted from the event of early morning and that was all he wanted.

As he bit off a huge chunk of chicken, there was a knock on his door.

"I'm out to lunch," he shouted, his mouth full.

"Captain, it's Lieutenant Hisagi. I need to speak with you about something very important."

"Well, can it wait? I'm in the middle of lunch," Kensei growled. _It's always something with this guy._

"I wouldn't disturb you if it wasn't important, sir," came Shuuhei's quiet reply.

Kensei rolled his eyes. "Come in then, kid; this better be life or death."

Shuuhei opened the door and bowed to his captain. "Just have a seat, Shuuhei. What's so important that it couldn't wait until after lunch?"

Shuuhei gulped; he had a feeling this matter wouldn't be as meaningful to his battle-commander captain as it was to him.

"Well sir, you told me to get back to you as soon as the readership and subscription numbers came in from last month…,"

Kensei glared at him. _This is what's so fucking urgent? I'll make you pay Shuuhei._

Shuuhei flinched under his captain's terrifying gaze but bravely continued.

"And they are down. 24% sir."

Silence. Shuuhei closed his eyes and awaited the pain that was surely coming.

"Damn, 24% huh?" Kensei repeated, scratching his chin. "That isn't good."

Shuuhei nodded in agreement, thanking the gods he wasn't writhing in pain right now. "No sir, it is not."

"Do we know why?" Kensei inquired. He didn't really about the _Seireitei Communications_ but it was part of his job. People needed to read it or their funding would be cut.

"Well," Shuuhei began uneasily, "I think it's because people find it kind of…boring."

Kensei regarded his subordinate curiously.

"We just got back from the war and the authors of our most popular series haven't really had the time to start working on anything new," Shuuhei explained. "All we've had is filler material for the past few months."

"Have you gotten in touch with any of the authors lately?" Kensei inquired. "Maybe we can get a few of them to contribute _something_ for this month."

Shuuhei shook his head. "Some of them said they could have something for next month but for this month, with the deadline coming up so soon, none of them will have anything ready."

Kensei groaned, rubbing his temples. "What do you think we should do?"

Shuuhei pursed his lips tightly together, thinking hard. The last time _Seireitei Communications _was in a bind like this was after Tosen defected. But then…

Shuuhei's gray eyes brightened and he opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it.

Kensei eyed his lieutenant warily. "What is it Shuuhei?"

The raven-haired man shook his head. Captain Muguruma would clock him for even bringing her up.

"Spit it out, kid!" Kensei growled. "You disrupted my lunch to sit there like a mime?!"

"I don't think you'd approve sir," Shuuhei replied quietly.

"Three seconds," Kensei warned.

"The last time we had this problem, Fourth Seat Naomi Reed was invaluable in helping me get everything back on track and I think we should use her expertise in journalism to get us out of this rut as well, sir," Shuuhei rushed.

Kensei stared at him. Early morning replayed in his head over and over again. His fists balled up unintentionally. Using Naomi wasn't a bad idea… in fact, it was a very good one. But the thought of being around her right now was…

"No," Kensei grunted. "Figure something else out."

"I don't know what else we can do, captain. The numbers for this upcoming month are going to look horrible," Shuuhei stood up to leave. As he stood in the doorway, he added, "Naomi is smart. And she's a great writer. Will you at least think about it, sir?"

Kensei said nothing and Shuuhei sighed. What a stubborn man his captain could be.

* * *

Naomi groaned and buried her face in her pillow. Her head was throbbing and she waited impatiently for the medicine she had been prescribed to take effect.

It had been two days since she slipped and fell in the women's bathhouse. She hit her head hard on the way down and probably would have bled out if it hadn't been for one of the patrol officers. Captain Unohana diagnosed her with a concussion. She had been allocated to bed rest for a week, which pissed her off because she just got back from her sabbatical.

So for the past two days, she had been stuck in her room with absolutely nothing to do except reading the diary entries and other books Captain Ukitake thought would keep her entertained. People would sometimes stop by to check on her and chat her up but not for long. She was bored and lonely.

Suddenly, Naomi felt the urge to vomit. Jumping up, she rushed to the bathroom and emptied the contents of her breakfast into the toilet, flushing when she was finished. Slowly standing up, she walked over to the sink and brushed her teeth for the third time that day. Not only was she dealing with a headache, apparently nausea and vomiting also came with a concussion.

She gazed pitifully at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was an unruly mess. A white bandage was wrapped securely around her forehead and the grayish skin under it itched. Dark circles underlined her eyes. She hadn't been getting much sleep since the accident.

Naomi raked her fingers over her face. She needed to get out of there and get some fresh air. She needed to socialize with someone who would make her feel better.

And she knew just the person who could.

* * *

Short chapter because it's acting transitional. Next chapters will be really juicy and longish. I've completed through chapter 10 and am almost finished with 11. Expect those within the coming weeks.

Just read the latest Bleach chapter. I can't believe Rose and Kensei are dead. If Kubo was going to kill them off I would've rather seen them go down fighting, not just "Oh yeah I killed these two already." It doesn't really change the original ending I was planning but it opens the possibility to create an alternate ending. I hope they're really not dead though. They're awesome characters!

**Please Review! I have some alerts and followings but I'd really like to hear actual feedback!**


	8. Avoiding the Issue

**Avoiding the Issue**

Rose's office smelled of fresh flowers and Naomi indulged in the scent, sighing contently every five minutes as she sprawled about his red Victorian couch. She ventured out in a lilac yukata and sandals without socks, something she always did in the summer.

"Comfortable?" Rose asked, amusedly. He sat at his desk finishing his work for the day.

"Very," Naomi yawned, burying her head against the soft black pillow. The lack of sleep caught up to her as soon she found herself on Rose's very comfy couch.

"Good. Maybe my sofa can entice you to come see me more often," he half-heartedly joked.

Naomi laughed nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've been caught up with work. You know how it is."

"I do. But could it also be that you're doing your very best to avoid the Ninth's captain who happens to be a very good friend of mine?" he asked teasingly. Naomi scowled at him and he laughed. Rose loved gossip and drama more than any other man Naomi knew. Of course, he would use her genial visit to talk about the last thing she had any interest in discussing.

"I don't want to talk about him. My headache is just starting to go away."

"Oh, _please_ give me something! We're going back to the World of the Living this evening and I need some gossip to bring back to Lisa and the others."

Naomi huffed. "I don't want my love life to be a source of entertainment, Rose!"

The blonde haired man pouted at her and she rolled her eyes. "I might possibly be seeing someone. And that's _all _I'm going to say." She was lying but she was hoping that would be enough for him to chew on.

Rose gasped in shock, covering his hand with his mouth. Naomi sank back into the sofa, closing her eyes.

"So does this mean you're over Kensei?" Rose inquired.

Naomi sighed. It didn't work. "It doesn't matter if I'm over him or not. He made it perfectly clear a _long_ time ago that he didn't want to be with me anymore. So that's that."

"No, it's not 'that's that'," he argued, frowning. "You and Kensei were in two different places then. How can you-,"

"And we're not now, Rose?"

"At least you guys are the same species now."

"Rose," Naomi interjected curtly. She did not come here to talk about Kensei. "Please."

He opened his mouth to say something more but then closed it. Nothing he said would convince her otherwise. She and Kensei needed to have a heart-to-heart but they would have to arrange that themselves. Unfortunately they were both stubborn fools so who knew how long that would take.

"So how have you been adjusting? Are you glad you came back?" Naomi smoothly changed the subject.

"I can't say I missed all this damn paperwork," Rose admitted. "And I really miss everyone back in the World of the Living."

She nodded in agreement. "I miss them, too. It's a shame they wouldn't come back."

"Well, how do you go from being in the highest ranking positions of the Gotei 13 to being relegated to a mere officer? Their pride isn't unwarranted; plus we had adjusted well over there. It's not nearly a miserable a situation than it was when we first arrived."

"How are you getting along with your squad?"

Rose smiled. "There's a few people from back when I first became captain. It was nice to see those familiar faces. It's even nicer to have a lieutenant who doesn't bully me."

She laughed. "Izuru definitely isn't the type to push anyone around."

"You know him well?" Rose asked curiously.

"Not really. Shuuhei Hisagi is a mutual friend of ours. We only hang out together when it's with him and sometimes Rangiku Matsumoto."

Naomi yawned. She was getting sleepier by the second. She couldn't stay there much longer; she was on strict bed rest and she had to sneak out of the barracks.

"Excuse me," she apologized, yawning again.

"No, don't be. You looked a bit tired when you arrived. Maybe you should rest a little?" Rose suggested.

Naomi shook her head. "I can't. I should be leaving soon. If the old man finds out I snuck out he'll torch me into oblivion."

He snickered. "How about you take a power nap? I'll wake you up in thirty minutes."

Naomi thought it over. She really needed to be leaving now. But that couch had some sort of hold on her. It didn't want her to leave and she was _so _tired. Her eyes drooped and she yawned yet again.

"Thirty minutes?" Naomi said sleepily.

Rose nodded once. "On the dot."

"Thirty…minutes," she repeated, her eyes closing. Rose watched as her body instantly went slack. She was out like a light.

Rose yawned. _Jeez, that's contagious._

Shaking off the tiredness that crept its way into his body, he sighed and continued working.

* * *

"Where is that ass-hat?" Shinji asked irately. "We were supposed to leave 40 minutes ago!"

He, Kensei and Mashiro waited impatiently for Rose to arrive at the Senkaimon. They all agreed to meet up at 7 but for some reason Rose was late.

"He needs to hurry! I haven't seen Hachi in _forever!" _Mashiro whined.

Kensei clenched and unclenched his jaw and cracked his knuckles, his face slowly turning red from losing what remained of his little patience. He hated tardiness.

"I'm going to drag his ass to the gate," Kensei threatened. Patience had never been his best trait. "I'll be back in 10 minutes."

Turning on his heel, he shunpo'd towards the Third Division. Shinji and Mashiro looked after him.

"Who knew we'd be coming back to the World of the Living to plan a funeral?" Shinji quipped in the silence.

* * *

Slamming the door open to Rose's office, Kensei saw him face-planted against his desk, knocked out cold.

"Rose!" Kensei snarled, stomping over to him and pulling his head up by his neck. "Wake the hell up!"

Rose's violet eyes popped open and it took him three seconds to process the situation. He looked at Kensei fearfully. That man's rage was something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

"I, uh, it appears I may have accidently fallen asleep while doing some paperwork," Rose said sheepishly. He winced when the grip on his neck tightened.

"Idiot, you're an hour late! Are you even packed? How the hell did you manage to fall asleep?" Kensei ruthlessly interrogated him. He didn't actually care what excuse Rose had; Kensei was going to drag him to the gate whether he was ready or not.

"It's her fault!" Rose pointed to the dark-haired woman slowly sitting up, waking up from her own nap.

"Jeez, can everyone stop yelling? My head hurts enough as it is," Naomi tiredly scolded the two.

Kensei released his grip on Rose's neck in shock. Naomi, eyes barely open, yawned and cracked her neck. The purple yukata she wore hung loosely off her shoulder, exposing a bit of her red bra and heating Kensei's cheeks. Her long hair was disheveled and swept to one side. He frowned when he saw the bandage on her head.

Rose and Kensei stared at her for a minute, waiting for her to fully wake up.

"Why are you guys…," Naomi trailed off when she realized Kensei was standing right in front of her. Her breath caught when their eyes met.

"I…," she began before taking notice of how dark the room was. It had to be at least six. Someone had probably already discovered that she left her room. Her captain was going to kill her. "I have to go!"

In an instant she had thrown on her sandals, fixed her yukata, and was out the door, leaving the two men in silence.

Rose broke the silence. "You should go after her."

The silver-haired man shook his head. "She can't even stand to be in a room with me for one minute. What would I say to her?"

Rose thought for a moment. "Weren't you talking about needing her for the magazine the other-,"

Kensei was gone in a flash. Rose smirked.

_Got him off my back._

Naomi jogged-walked quickly through the Third Division barracks, ignoring the curious stares of the squad members she passed. Her heart was racing and her head ached terribly. Not only that but she was beginning to feel nauseous again as well.

She knew she was probably in big trouble but all she could think about was the look on Kensei's face when their eyes met. He looked at her like he always used to look at her; like he loved her.

And it hurt.

This was precisely why she avoided him like the plague.

"Naomi!" she heard him calling after her. She turned her head and saw him close behind. If he used shunpo he would actually catch up to her.

"Captain Muguruma I really don't have to time to chat," she said, speeding up.

"I just need a minute!"

"I'm told you I-," she was about to barf. Turning a corner, she leaned against a building and let it all out. Kensei caught up to her and saw her emptying her stomach.

"Shit!" he acted automatically, holding her hair for her and rubbing her back soothingly. It made him think back to one night in which she came home from ladies' night, drunk off her mind and upset for some irrational reason.

Naomi finished puking about a minute later. "Fuck," she moaned. She hated throwing up.

"Take a deep breath," Kensei ordered her and she obliged, taking a huge gulp of cool, summer air.

"Again."

She did as she was told. She was feeling better already.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"No problem," he looked like he about to say something else but then thought better of it. "I guess I'll leave you be."

Kensei turned and began walking away.

"Wait!" Naomi cursed herself inwardly. She was going to regret this.

Kensei looked at her.

"What is it that you wanted to say? Earlier?"

He scoffed. "I thought you didn't have time to hear it?"

Naomi shrugged. "You did something nice for me. The least I can do is hear you out."

Kensei gazed at her for a moment before breaking the silence. "Has Shuuhei talked to you about _Seireitei Communication_ at all lately?"

Naomi bit her lip. "I haven't seen him lately. But he did mention something about numbers the last time I saw him. Sorry, my memory's been a bit fuzzy," she gestured to the bandage on her head.

"What happened?"

"Slipped in the bathhouse."

"Oh."

An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Kensei remembered what he was going to say.

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, our numbers have been down and we need to come up with a big story or idea this month or we'll lose some funding."

Naomi arched an eyebrow. "So what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, I- Shuuhei thinks you could help us out. He told me how you saved his sanity when his old captain defected and we could use a little bit of your expertise."

Naomi paused, thinking. Her first instinct was to say no. She hadn't dodged Kensei all this time for nothing. Just being around him now was harder than she thought it would be. On the other hand, she was flattered that Shuuhei thought so much of her. And she really did miss writing and the staff…

Kensei sighed impatiently. "Look. I'm not asking you to write anything. I could just use your input. If you're interested, we've got a staff meeting on Monday."

Once again, he turned to leave. "If you don't show up, I guess I'll see you…whenever." He waved and shunpo'd away.

* * *

_Everything's always awkward after a breakup haha._

_More one-on-one moments between these two soon._

**Please Review!**


	9. Moment

**Moment**

Naomi laid down in her bed staring blankly at the ceiling in her room, grateful she was still alive after being reprimanded by the Captain-Commander but once again bored and unable to fall asleep. Her ears were still ringing from all the shouting and she had already forgotten everything he threatened her with.

She couldn't stop thinking about Kensei.

Seeing him sent her body into a frenzy. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized he was in Rose's office. He was still the same broad-shouldered, muscular man she had loved for years. If anything, Naomi knew she would probably be sexually attracted to Kensei for the rest of her life.

But the way he looking at her was still bothering her. He looked at her the way he always used to look at her; like he loved her. And it _hurt._

Moving on was hard enough without his looming presence. It took her years after coming the Soul Society for Naomi to even think about dating. There were a few dates; none of which resulted in anything remotely serious. She even went out with Renji, her reason being he was nice and she liked his tattoos. Neither were a good base for a long-term relationship.

But now Kensei was here in Soul Society. Naomi could only picture the awkward run-ins that were bound to happen with her luck. And if she saw Kensei with another woman, she honestly didn't know how she would react. Just the thought churned her stomach with jealousy.

She was unsure if she was going take him up on his offer. Part of her craved creative outlet being part of the _Seireitei Communication_ provided, even if she wasn't really writing again. The other part of her wanted to avoid another face-to-face with Kensei.

Naomi sighed.

_Why is life so complicated?_

* * *

Kensei brushed his teeth and switched off the bathroom light before sliding into his old bed in the Visored Warehouse, tired from the day's activities. They were due back to Soul Society tomorrow morning; Central 46 would not allow three captains and a lieutenant to be gone any longer than that, especially for a leisure trip. So twenty-four hours was all they got.

It creaked as he stretched himself out trying to get comfortable. He groaned contently. Since they had to return so soon, the day was packed with activities. Kensei made everyone breakfast since they whined about missing his cooking so much. The girls left to do some shopping. Hiyori went only because she didn't want to be left alone with the guys; Hachi tagged along with the girls. Shinji and Rose left to go to the music store while Love and Kensei went to the bar to drink and play pool.

"How's that new lieutenant?" Love asked, hitting a red-striped ball into a corner pocket.

Kensei _tsked, _taking a swig of ale. "Shuuhei? He's great. He's still a little pansy though."

"You like him more than Mashiro?" A purple-striped ball rolled into the right side pocket.

Kensei laughed incredulously. "Is that a trick question? Hell yes. He does all his work and even some of mine if I ask hi

_I_m to. And he doesn't whine about it either."

Love chuckled. "Sounds like you two are a perfect match."

"Love," Kensei said warningly.

"He's the 9 to your 6-,"

Kensei chucked the 8-ball at his head, effectively ending the conversation.

When they all caught up again, it was time to cook dinner. Once again, Kensei did the honors with help from Hachi. After dinner, it was time for sparring. Lisa kept pissing him by constantly bringing Naomi during their match and Kensei made sure to hit Love extra hard for the comment he made earlier.

The evening eased into a calm of watching TV and board games. It had been a while since Kensei felt so at ease and relaxed. He didn't regret leaving but he missed the simplicity the World of the Living offered. And he missed his fellow Visored.

Kensei closed his eyes and fell asleep.

_The squeal of tires outside sounded that his girlfriend had arrived._

_Mashiro screamed._

_Hachi prepared to throw up another barrier._

_Shinji looked fearful._

_Lisa seemed impatient._

_Hiyori looked excited._

_Rose and Love disappeared into their respective rooms._

_Kensei took a deep breath, though inside he was panicking. Naomi was just returning from a job interview. Her second in eight months. She told him if she got the job she would call and tell him. She didn't say what she'd do if didn't and Kensei feared it wouldn't be good. Naomi was usually quite calm and patient, the opposite of her temperamental lover. But the frustration of working at a restaurant with a Master's degree in journalism was starting to get to her. _

_Lately she had been a monster, even snapping on poor Mashiro for whom she held a herculean degree of patience. Naomi had zero tolerance for Shinji and his mouth which resulted badly for him on many occasions. Oddly enough, she and Hiyori had been getting along better than ever. And her sex life with Kensei was practically nonexistent. She was either in a bad mood when she got off or too tired and horrifyingly, sometimes both._

"_Whatever you guys do, don't look her in the eye!" Kensei warned. "She can see your fear."_

_A car door slammed and Mashiro yelped again before jumping behind the couch._

_The door handle jiggled a little and Kensei's breath caught. His hands were shaking._

_Time slowed down as the door opened, revealing a slim figure in the doorway._

_Kensei gulped. "Hey sweetie," he greeted weakly. Lisa snickered. "How did it g-,"_

_Naomi's body bombarded into him, making him stumble. Her lips were on his instantly and her legs were wrapped around his waist. _

_She pulled her head away from his briefly to yell, "I GOT THE JOB!" before continuing to suck face with her overwhelmed lover._

_Mashiro jumped up from behind the couch. "Yay!"_

"_Thank the gods," Shinji breathed._

_Lisa looked on with interest at the PDA between the two._

_Hachi looked relieved. _

_Love and Rose appeared out of nowhere. "Congratulations!"_

_Hiyori rolled her eyes and reached for the box of donuts Naomi dropped when she attacked Kensei._

_Kensei pulled her off of him, his face red but a big grin on his face. "Congrats, sweetheart," he murmured in her ear. He only liked to call her sweet names when no one else was around to hear it. Lisa would never let him live that slip down._

"_Thanks you guys!" Naomi was beaming ear to ear, her dimple appearing deeper than ever._

"_We should have a big dinner to celebrate," Rose suggested._

"_Yay, dinner!" Mashiro cheered. "With rice cakes!"_

"_I'd like tempura," Lisa added, flipping through a page of her manga._

"_Beef teriyaki," Love said, his mouth full donut._

"_All those things sound great!" Naomi began tugging on Kensei towards his bedroom. "Why don't all of you go grocery shopping and when you get finished with that, just go hang out for an hour or two. Somewhere but here." She threw Rose her wallet and dragged Kensei away. A few seconds later, they all heard his bedroom door slam._

"_I'm staying," Lisa said firmly._

_Kensei found himself thrown on the bed by his vivacious lover. In seconds she was on top of him, ripping off his shirt and unbuckling his pants while simultaneously placing sinful kisses all over his jaw and neck._

_He loved when Naomi was in a good mood._

* * *

"Alright everyone. Let's get started!"

Shuuhei stood at the front of the room, whiteboard marker in hand. The conversation in the office died down and the staffers turned their attention to their editor-in-chief. Kensei stood in the back of the room, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He hated these meetings. He delegated his duties as editor-in-chief to Shuuhei but he was obligated to supervise and make sure everything ran smoothly.

He looked around, a bit disappointed but not shocked Naomi was not in attendance. It was clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

_**Tough luck, Jack, **_Tachikaze quipped.

_Shut up, _Kensei growled.

**Maybe now that you realize she hates your guts, you can move on. Find another troubled young woman to make your own.**

_I said-, _Kensei was distracted when he caught Naomi sprinting down the hall. His breath caught and his heart began beating a little faster. He almost wished she hadn't shown up with the effect she was having on him.

She quietly caught up to his position, a bit winded from her run. No else seemed to notice her arrival.

"Sorry… I'm…late," she panted between breaths. I had to… come… during… my lunch break."

Kensei raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were on bed rest?" He noted the bandage still wrapped around her head.

"Captain Unohana said I could return to work yesterday after I begged to," Naomi explained. "Only light work through the rest of the week."

"Oh. That's good I guess."

An awkward silence passed between them.

"I'm…gonna go move up so I can hear better," Naomi said quietly.

Kensei nodded.

She moved up only a bit, trying not to draw any attention to herself. Kensei found himself staring at her defined legs. Her shihakusho was different from the standard one. Hers was still long-sleeved but the sleeves weren't loose and it was completed with a short skirt. A royal purple obi was tied around her waist, a dark blue scabbard concealing her black-hilted katana tucked into it.

"No, no!" Shuuhei exclaimed, sighing exasperatedly. "We need _new _ideas! We can't keep recycling old ones!"

He threw the marker at the wall, making the staff jump.

Kensei looked on at his outburst, amused.

_Shuuhei sure is passionate about this crap._

Naomi cleared her throat. "I think I may have something."

Everyone turned their attention to the back of the room, their faces lighting up when they saw her.

"Naomi!" She was greeted with hugs and high-fives from her old coworkers. Kensei was surprised how popular Naomi appeared to be. The meeting turned quickly into a catch up. Naomi was smiling ear-to-ear as she talked to nearly everyone.

The one person who didn't seem happy to see her at all was Katerina Uchida, the 16th seat and gossip columnist. She was a capable Shinigami but she had a rotten attitude. She was of a lower noble family but had the demeanor of someone belonging in one of the Four. Kensei could hardly stand her. She was always finding a reason to bother him.

Katerina scowled at her while Naomi paid her no attention. An evil smile appeared on her face.

"Extra, extra! Read all about it! The cuckoo-eyed maniac returns! Will she throw another fist? Or maybe her _panties_ this time? Stay tuned for more!" Katerina sang in an announcer voice, calling attention to herself.

Kensei gaped at her before his face turned red with red with anger and chagrin. "Uchida!"

"That was highly inappropriate, Katerina," Shuuhei scolded.

The blond-haired noble only grinned smugly.

The dig, clearly directed at Naomi, had no noticeable effect on its target. She merely regarded Katerina with a wary gaze.

"Hey Kat. Long time no see," she greeted.

"It has been a while hasn't it, Naomi?" Katerina sneered. "How was Looneyville?"

Naomi smiled sweetly at her, the kind of smile anyone who knew her well enough could see through. She hated her guts. The tension between the two saturated the room. Everyone watched their exchange with interest. The guys were hoping for a catfight. The women were hoping Naomi would do anything to shut up the squad snob.

"It was great. I'm so glad to be back though," Naomi began pleasantly. "But you know, I was _so _disappointed when I got back and read your column. Sweetie, we've talked about this: writing at a fifth-grade level is _not_ acceptable."

The room burst into snickers and Katerina's smug face disappeared, replaced with embarrassment and rage. "Bitch!" she barked, lunging for her.

Kensei was about to intervene when Mashiro, quite literally appearing out of nowhere, dropkicked Katerina in the stomach, sending her flying.

"Stupid Kat!" Mashiro growled, sticking her tongue out at her. "No one hurts my Nao-Nao!"

Everyone gaped at her except Naomi who was laughing uncontrollably until Mashiro was suddenly squeezing the life out of her.

"Nao-Nao! I've missed you so much~," Mashiro sang.

"I've missed…you…too…Mashiro," Naomi was quickly turning blue.

"How come you never visit? Is it cause Kensei's a stupid meanie?"

"Uh, Lieutenant Kuna," Shuuhei interjected nervously. "You're suffocating h-,"

"Shut up Shuey! Can't you see were talking here?"

"Mashiro!" Kensei bellowed. "Shut up and put her down! She can't breathe you idiot!"

"Oh," Mashiro carelessly dropped Naomi to the ground. Shuuhei quickly helped her up while she held her aching ribs.

"Okay that's enough," Kensei barked. "Let's get back on track."

Someone escorted Katerina to the Fourth Division while the meeting became organized again.

"You were saying you had an idea, Naomi?" Shuuhei inquired brightly. He hadn't seen her in forever and it felt good to be working with her again.

Naomi still stood, caressing her ribs. She thought Mashiro might have fractured something.

"Oh, yeah," she paused to recollect it. "Well, I was talking to Rose-, I mean Captain Ōtoribashi the other day and we discussed how he was settling now that he was back after being…away for so long. And that conversation gave me the idea that you guys should run a story on the new captains."

The room was dead quiet before everyone started murmuring amongst each other, throwing anxious glances toward their captain. Naomi's face fell. She was hoping for a more cheerful reaction.

"I think it's a great idea," Shuuhei said, beaming at her.

Kensei rolled his eyes. _This kid worships the ground she walks on._

**But he's got your tattoo on his face…**

_Shut. Up._

"I think it's good, too," Kensei added. Naomi offered him a small smile.

"What about me?" Mashiro whined. "I'm new, too!"

"Of course, you have to be a part of it!"

Gradually the staff warmed to the idea and they all began discussing the many directions the issue could take. Kensei slipped back into his office. He didn't feel the need to get too involved with the details and he had work to finish.

* * *

Thirty minutes after he left, there was a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" Kensei asked.

"It's me," he heard Naomi's muffled response through the door. "May I-?"

"Y-yeah, come on in."

The door slid open, revealing Naomi. She entered and closed the door behind her.

She stood a bit awkwardly before bowing and sitting down in the chair in front of his desk.

Kensei chuckled, unable to hide the satisfied smirk on his face. "You don't have to do that, you know."

Naomi glared at him. "Actually, I do. You _are_ my superior now, after all."

He shook his head. "I'm not saying you never have to. Only when we're alone. It's kinda weird."

"Everything is a bit weird now, isn't it?" Naomi murmured, chewing the inside of her lip.

"So what is it you need?" Kensei asked, breaking yet another awkward silence that passed between them.

"I just wanted to let you know that we're doing this issue interview style, kind of like some of the old work I've done before for _Seireitei Communications_."

Kensei arched an eyebrow. "Are you talking about your old "Person of Interest" articles?" He began rummaging through his desk.

"Yeah!" Naomi confirmed, pleasantly surprised. "You know about those?"

Kensei pulled out a fairly thick black folder out and slid it over to her. She opened it, quickly scanning the contents.

"These are all my old articles and stories," she said, delighted. Kensei couldn't help but smile at the happy expression on her face. "Jeez, I wish I had my glasses."

"Here's a magnifying glass," Kensei grabbed the trinket out of the cup on his desk and held it out to her.

She flicked him off and he laughed.

"Shut up. My vision isn't that bad."

"It's _horrible_, stop kidding yourself."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"You need a haircut!" she shouted at him.

He rubbed his head self-consciously. "No I do not." It was true his hair was a bit fluffy. He was trying to grow it out like it was 110 years ago.

She giggled. "Yeah, you do." She reached over, as if it to touch it herself, then hesitated and dropped her hand. Her cheeks flushed slightly.

"You'll be getting your picture taken so you need to look decent."

Kensei was silent, trying to process what just occurred between them. Naomi had seemed so at ease, much different than his last encounter with her. That brief moment was light-hearted; it felt almost nostalgic.

The uncharacteristic indifference returned swiftly, however, and Naomi stood to leave. "I'm going to try to schedule the interviews soon. If you could let me know when you're free that would be great."

Kensei nodded dumbly, a bit taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor.

"Oh, and Captain Muguruma?"

"What?" it came out a bit harsh but he was irritated by her attitude.

"You really should get a hair cut."

* * *

_Can't wait to write more stuff like this with them they're so cute._

_Alot of drama up ahead, it's gonna be good stuff. I'm currently working on Chapter 14 and I try to upload when I finish a chapter so I'm staying like five chapters ahead in case I feel the need to change something._

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter. **Please Review.**_


	10. Interview

**Interview**

If Naomi was anything, it was efficient. In one week she managed to interview both Shinji and Rose; Kensei and Mashiro had been busier than usual since it was the Ninth's week to patrol, making them unavailable. Rose had expectedly been a delight to interview; they visited an incense shop and talked casually over tea. It was a piece of cake to write his profile.

Shinji, also expectedly, made Naomi nearly want to tear her hair out. The bad blood between them presented an obstacle and Naomi practically begged Shuuhei to do it for her instead. Shuuhei insisted that she do it because it would make it easier for her do Shinji's profile. Naomi found, listening to the tape recorder while writing, the majority of their conversation consisted of trading insults and snarky remarks. It took place in his office. She marched in, determined to get it over with and Shinji surprisingly obliged. She had Shuuhei read it over for her, making sure she didn't come off more than a little biased.

The goal for that week was to get Mashiro and Kensei so she could finish it up in time for the deadline.

All in all, it felt great to be writing again. Taking control of such a huge project kept Naomi on her toes, something she missed working as an investigative journalist in the World of the Living. It felt good working with the staff of _Seireitei Communications _once more as well. She dedicated herself to it.

Kensei was helpful, too. He offered feedback on her progress and his opinion when asked. Things were slightly less tense between the two now. Naomi would come and stay in the office late since she didn't have a computer so she would write there after she completed her regular duties. Anyone else would think her insane, especially since she was still recovering from a concussion but Kensei only laughed because he knew she lived for multitasking.

One late night, Naomi was leaving the Ninth Division struggling with various materials. Her glasses were lopsided and she looked exhausted. Kensei was just returning after his patrol when he saw her drop everything she had in her arms. She cursed, slipping to her knees and gathering everything up. Kensei approached and she looked at him pathetically.

"You ever thought about investing in a backpack?" He asked, squatting down and helping her.

Naomi shook her head. "Too mainstream."

They laughed at their little inside joke and when Kensei handed her all the materials she picked up, they stood awkwardly.

"It's really late," Kensei noted. "Are you sure you wanna walk all the way to your division right now? The uh, sofa in my office is pretty comfy."

Naomi chewed her bottom lip subconsciously. "Thanks," she said sincerely. "But I'll take my bed over your sofa any night."

She began striding away and Kensei opened the door to the gate, a bit disappointed.

Naomi stopped and turned, smiling. "Besides, what do I have to fear when the men of the Ninth Division are watching over me?"

Kensei grinned and waved her off. "Get some sleep brat."

Naomi laughed and shunpo'd away.

* * *

Kensei sat at a booth in a restaurant late afternoon, casually looking over the menu while waiting for Naomi to arrive for their interview. It was Saturday, the day before the deadline and he knew she would be stressed because she had to get Mashiro in the same day. The work had been piling up for every division lately and Kensei found himself staying in the office later and later. He needed to take a day off soon or he thought his head would explode.

Someone slid into the seat across from him and he was about protest when he realized it Naomi. He burst into laughter the second he saw her face covered in panda face paint. Her expression was not pleased.

"Shut. Up," she seethed. Her black hair was thrown up into a high ponytail and she wore a simple yellow dress. As she did will all the subjects, except Shinji, she allowed them to pick the venue where they wanted the interview to take place. Mashiro, of course, chose the festival that was going on that day. The two spent the early afternoon playing carnival games, eating sweets and getting their faces painted. Mashiro chose to be a lion and Naomi asked her to pick for her, Mashiro picked a panda.

Kensei shook his head, unable to stop snickering. People were beginning to stare, surprised to see the normally set-faced captain showing some amusement.

"That's it!" Naomi abruptly stood up and marched to the bathroom, determined to scrub the muck off her face. When she returned, most of it was gone, save for a few streaks of black and white.

"Let's get started, shall we?" her face was burning with embarrassment.

"Here you are, captain," a waitress appeared, setting down a plate of hot, sizzling _yakitori _in front of Kensei. His mouth watered at the sight and Naomi snorted. "Seriously? I'm trying to interview you here."

He bit off a chunk of chicken. "I'm hungry. Why do you think I chose a restaurant to meet?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed, flipping on the tape recorder. "Interview four with Captain Kensei Muguruma. We're sitting inside a quaint little restaurant while he stuffs his face with _yakitori_, his favorite meal. Question one: How's the food?"

Kensei chuckled. "It's good. This restaurant is right around the corner from my division so I'll stop by here a couple times a week when I know I'll be stuck in the office for a while."

"How does the food here compare to the food in the World of the Living?"

He _hmm'd. _"I guess I would say the World of the Living has more variety. I do miss pizza."

"I definitely agree with you on that sentiment," Naomi conceded. "But enough about food. Can you explain how you felt when you got the request from the Captain-Commander to return to your post in Soul Society? I'd imagine it felt pretty great."

"It was," Kensei confirmed, remembering the day. "It was more of a surprise than anything. None of us expected it. For over a hundred years, I lived in the Human World. I can't say in the beginning it wasn't hard to cope with. I lost everything I worked so hard for because of that bastard Aizen-," Kensei paused, his fists clenching together. Naomi didn't say anything. The pain in his voice was loud and clear and that made just listening hard for her.

He continued. "For a long time, I was miserable. I went from having my own house to living in a warehouse with 7 other people dealing with the same issues as me. Eventually I adjusted; it was hard, but I managed. But when I was asked to return to my post, of course there was no hesitation. I'm a Shinigami before anything else. Living and dying on the battlefield is my sole purpose."

Naomi nodded. The last bit of his answer bothered her and she didn't know why.

"So on returning to Soul Society: is it everything you thought it would be? What's changed from 110 years to now?"

"I'd say obviously the faces. We've got a whole new group of captains and lieutenants. Not that I expected otherwise. But still, to see Ginrei Kuchiki's grandson is the captain of the 6th Division now makes me feel old."

Naomi snickered. "Jeez, how old are you?"

Kensei glowered at her. "Next question."

Naomi asked him a variety of questions, the subjects varying from how he runs his division, his personal philosophy and favorite quote, and what he thinks the future holds for him.

He found that question amusing for some reason.

"You know, if you asked me that question 110 years ago, I would've said I expected to be dead. We Shinigami don't have a longevity. Especially us captains who are always the first on the battlefield to ensure our subordinates survival."

"But now…?" Naomi coaxed, genuinely curious to see what he had to say.

He looked a bit anxious before he answered. "Now, I think I'd like to have a kid or two. I am a traditionalist so I'd like to get married first. But yeah, I'd love to have a son. So I can teach him how to be a man and take care of his mother when I'm not here to do it anymore."

"That's a lot of responsibility to put on a child. And no one wants to be a widow. Why wouldn't you want to stick around and take care of your wife yourself?" Her question came out a bit harsh and Kensei was bit taken aback.

"Like I said earlier, I'm a Shinigami," Kensei retorted, eyes narrowed. "Dying on the battlefield is an honor in and of itself."

"So you would choose death over your own family?" Naomi asked incredulously. It was clear that she was upset and Kensei didn't understand why.

"That's not what I'm saying. Don't put words in my mouth, Naomi," he warned.

"Then what are you saying, Captain Muguruma? Because all it sounds like to me is a bunch of macho bullshit!"

The few people in the restaurant turned their attention towards their table again.

"Keep your voice down!" Kensei demanded.

"No! You're such an idiot! How is any of that even remotely acceptable? You're supposed to take care of your family, not willingly abandon them over your stupid pride!"

"Shut your mouth, Reed," Kensei snarled. "You don't get it!"

"You're right I don't get it, so please do the honors of explaining it to me!" Naomi replied scornfully.

Kensei clenched his jaw. He really didn't want to talk about this, especially in such a public place. But Naomi wouldn't stop causing a scene until he explained. He began in a heated, low voice.

"A while ago, I met someone. The most beautiful woman in the world. She was even smarter than she was beautiful. And she was kind and patient and compassionate. We were friends for a long time. I've always said to myself, I'd never get married and start a family. I was married to my career. But after I met this woman, I said to myself if I was going to spend the rest of my life with someone and have a bunch of screaming kids running around, it would only be with her. She was my only option. And you know what happened? She died. And I can't even begin to explain the torment I went through. I would've done anything to see her again and tell her I love her. Do you know how much it fucking sucks when you realize the only person you ever cared about is gone and you'll never see them again? That you're going to spend the rest of your days alone because there is _no one _who could possibly replace them? Dot you get it, Naomi? You died and I had _nothing. _Not a damn thing. So you know what? I guess you _could_ say I'm choosing death over my family. I would rather die than see the love of my life's lifeless body on the evening news again!"

Kensei banged both fists on the table and jumped up to leave. He threw some money on the table before storming out, people staring after him.

Naomi sat frozen, unable to comprehend what just happened. Too many emotions were clogging up her chest, making it unbearably tight. She needed to get out of there before she burst into tears. Shutting off the tape recorder, she gathered up the rest of her things and left.

* * *

_Just finished chapter 15. I'm too tired to write a proper summary. So just enjoy and **review**_


	11. Pictures

**Pictures**

Naomi subconsciously chewed on the end of the pen, staring at the work in front of her with an unsatisfied look her on her face. It had been a bad habit of hers since she was a little girl doing crosswords puzzle. Diagnosed with dyslexia since she was five, it became something she did only when she stressed or couldn't concentrate.

She sat in her office chair, legs stretched over the corner of the desk. It was Wednesday, the day the issue was to be mailed out and Naomi was nervous. Not because she was worried about the reviews; she created a masterpiece. Everyone would love it, she was sure. It was because an hour before the deadline, she was still staring at a blank computer screen, unsure of how to go about writing Kensei's profile. She thought she knew him inside and out, up and down, backwards and forwards. But after he blew up at her, she wasn't so certain. It exposed an emotional vulnerability in Kensei Naomi had only seen once before and they never spoke of it again. It made her realize that though he would _never _admit it, he was hurting just as much as she was.

When Naomi finished writing and read it over and over again, she could only pray her message came across to him clearly.

A knock on the door startled her. "Naomi, it's Chojiro. May I come in?"

"Yeah."

He slid the door opened and entered. "The captain would like to know what kind of tea you wanted for lunch today."

"Uh," Naomi tiredly rubbed her eyes underneath her glasses. "Jasmine, I guess."

Chojiro nodded and suddenly beamed at her.

"What?" Naomi asked. His smile was unnerving her.

"I just finished reading the special edition of _Seireitei Communication _written entirely by yours truly. Congratulations, it's fantastic!"

Naomi smiled weakly at him. "Thanks."

"The pictures were so varied and candid; how on earth did you capture so many of them outside the office?"

"I called in a few favors with some old buddies in the Stealth Force. That's all I'm saying."

Chojiro chuckled. She fit in so well with the 1st Division he had forgotten she had actually only joined just over a year ago. She transferred from the Fifth, having spent a few years over there and was recruited to the Stealth Force right out of the Academy due to her proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. She was even being deemed to be Captain Soi Fon's possible successor before they had their…falling out.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about, Chojiro? I'm a little behind on my work so I have a lot of catching up to do."

He looked a bit disappointed but nodded, turning to leave. "Yes, that's all. Sorry to disturb you."

Naomi bit her lip. She and Chojiro used to hang out all the time during lunch breaks, gabbing to each other. He was so curious about Western society and Naomi, being American, was like a godsend to him. Lately, she had been neglecting all her friendships between being stuck on bed rest and engulfing herself in this project. But that was about to change.

"We should have a training session soon," Naomi suggested. Chojiro turned around and regarded her happily. "I know I'm a bit rusty and I could use a hard session to get me on track. What do you say?"

"I'd love to!" he exclaimed excitedly. "How about this weekend? We'll head to the valley again."

"I can't this weekend. I have to go visit Lady Rinako or she'll ring my head."

Chojiro paled at the mention of Lady Rinako and nodded understandingly. "Of course! Just let me know whenever you're available."

Naomi nodded. "See ya."

He waved and shut the door behind him.

Naomi sighed, turning her attention back to the work in front of her. _Okay, let's deal with you. Then I can eat._

The sound of flapping wings filled her ears and Naomi looked to her balcony. A large bird sat perched on the red bars, its beady dark eyes seemingly glaring at her. It looked like no ordinary bird. It was all-black from its beak to its razor-sharp talons. Its head was small and narrow while it's neck was long and slim. Long black tail feathers curved inward. Its other feathers were overgrown, giving it a mystical appearance.

She scoffed. "Don't give me that look you son of a bitch! Where the hell have you been?"

**Watch your mouth, girl, **Da-Ku Fenikkusu warned.

"The hell I will!" she marched over to him and before he could fly away, she grabbed him by his beak. His wings flapped wildly but she held him in a steady grip. Slowly, the bird morphed into a wakizashi and Naomi sealed it in its black sheath.

"You've been gone for weeks," she said scornfully. "What were you doing that kept you that busy?"

**I've been watching you from a distance since the night you were attacked. I've been scoping the area, making sure you aren't being followed.**

"I told you I wasn't attacked! I slipped."

**You saw something-**

"-I saw a shadow,"Naomi argued angrily. "And it was probably my own. I freaked out for no reason after talking to you!"

**Do not place the blame on me.**

"I'm not blaming you fo- it doesn't matter. Look: it's been weeks and nothing has happened. I think whatever threat that was out there, is gone. Time to find a new obsession, bird-boy!"

**Please do not start with that dastardly nickname again. It's the worst.**

"I will say whatever I please to my zanpakuto until he learns he can't fly everywhere all willy nilly. I need you to stay closer. I have training sessions with the recruits and unseated officers coming up and I'm not as good with just one sword."

**Agreed. You are quite pitiful. In truth, I think you fight much better without a sword at all.**

"True," Naomi agreed with a small smile. "But it's hard to block a sword with just your arm."

Shuuhei popped the champagne bottle open and the alcohol came flying out, showering the staff of _Seireitei Communication _with sticky liquid as they all cheered for the release of another issue. The end of the day had come and they were finally allowed to let loose; or as loose as Kensei would allow them, considering they had work the next morning.

Kensei sat at his desk staring straight ahead in a trance-like state.

_What the fuck have I done, _he thought to himself over and over again.

_Saturday night_

_Kensei sulked moodily, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed tightly over his chest. He brooded in a small bar, drowning his sorrows with bourbon. After storming out of the restaurant, Kensei intended to walk around for a bit to cool off. He was stewing mad and the next thing he knew it was night and he found himself in front this bar. He decided a drink help calm him down more but five drinks later he felt even worst, the alcohol unleashing the flood of emotions inside him._

_Naomi pushed him too far. Everything he said was true but he never meant for those words to reach her ears. Being vulnerable like that scared Kensei more than anything and she knew that. For her to go there, in a public place at that, absolutely enraged him._

"_Another," Kensei growled at the bartender who fearfully obliged. He gulped the liquor down and gazed blankly at his reflection in the empty glass bottom._

"_Rough night, captain?" an amused, feminine voice quipped beside him._

_Kensei slowly turned his gaze over to her. His vision was blurry but he could see she was a blonde of average height with hazel eyes. She was clothed in a tight, black dress. She was certainly attractive to a drunk Kensei._

"_Yeah," he said simply, ignoring the stroke of lust that just hit him. "Another," he ordered._

"_Me too. I've been stood up," the blonde revealed, pouting. "I'll have what he's having."_

_Kensei rolled his eyes. "I don't remember asking you to give me a reason."_

_She shrugged. "I know; I told you anyway. You seem like a good listener."_

"_You couldn't be more wrong," Kensei retorted, gulping down some of his drink. His eyes raked over her body appreciatively. She had an hourglass shape and a great rack. He could only imagine what it felt like to-_

_He shook his head, feeling ashamed for even thinking about another woman like that._

_**The hell's the matter with you?! **__Tachikaze barked incredulously. __**She's smoking hot. And she's obviously digging whatever kind of charm you have on hot women. Go for it.**_

"_I can't do that to Naomi," Kensei replied. "She'd never forgive me."_

_**You're miserable every time that woman crosses your mind. Forget her for one night and indulge. You could do with a release. It's good for your health.**_

'_You don't get it-,' Kensei began arguing but suddenly her hand was on his thigh. It had been a __**long **__time since Kensei felt a woman's touch like that. The familiar feeling of arousal was beginning to overwhelm him._

"_Are you listening to me?" the blonde asked. Kensei didn't realize she was talking but his eyes were suddenly focused on her lovely lips._

_He cleared his throat. "What?"_

_She laughed. "I was saying that since you and I are both here alone, it would only make sense that we leave together, right?" She bit her lip seductively and moved her hand closer to his inner thigh and Kensei couldn't stop the groan that escaped his lips. He wished he hadn't drank so much. He knew he shouldn't leave with this random woman but his body wanted to and his mind was too muddled up to intervene._

"_Makes sense to me," he mumbled. The blonde giggled with glee and tugged him up._

"_Let's go back to your place," she whispered in his ear._

After that, Kensei didn't remember anything. When he woke up, the blonde was gone and only a note remained: "_Thanks for the great night, captain!" _She left no name, only a lipstick stain.

The guilt Kensei felt was suffocating. He could never look Naomi in the eye again. She would _hate _him if she ever found out and with his luck, she inevitably would. Rumors got around fast in the Soul Society and murmurs of someone screwing a captain is something he had expected to hear by Monday morning. He hadn't heard anything yet but he could feel it like coming, like ominous vibrations on a train track.

Shuuhei burst into his office and Kensei actually jumped, fearing it was Naomi having just found out about his one-night stand.

"Woah, didn't mean to startle you captain!" Shuuhei said a chuckle. His face was tinted red and swayed a bit.

Kensei glared at him. "Are you drunk in my office, Shuuhei?" he asked warningly. Shuuhei, invulnerable to his captain's rage in his drunken state, laughed again.

"Yep."

"Why you-,"

"-But I'm not gonna stay long. There's a party going on out there. I just wanted to tell you to check the last page," Shuuhei threw the magazine on Kensei's desk.

"I already have a copy, you idiot!" Kensei barked at him.

Shuuhei put his index finger to his lip and grinned. "Shhhh. I know. Naomi added an extra page since your birthday is coming up. It's Saturday, isn't it?"

Kensei rolled his eyes and opened the magazine and flipped through the pages. "Sunday," he corrected him, eyes searching the pages.

"It's the very last page, captain."

Kensei turned to the very end and looked at the page. It was simple. A white background with the words 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPTAIN MUGURUMA' printed in big bold letters at the top. But in the middle there was a picture. It was taken in his office. Kensei was looking at her rather seriously, pointing to something on his desk. But Naomi was sticking her tongue out at the camera and had bunny ears behind his head. He remembered this moment last week; he yelled at her to get out of his office if she wanted to goof around. But something else struck him about the picture, a bit of deja vu.

"Thanks Shuuhei, you can leave." Kensei told him, opening his desk drawers.

"Okaaay," his lieutenant sang. "You should come join us soon before all the food is gone."

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute."

Shuuhei left and Kensei rummaged through drawers, looking for something.

He found it and pulled out a red photo album. Naomi's hobby was scrapbooking and being the cuckoo organizer she was, she loved to title them even more. This one was entitled "The Book of Us" in cutout magazine letters and Kensei had to laugh. Naomi was ridiculously corny when it came to romantic things. Kensei opened it and looked through page after page. It was filled with numerous photos Naomi had taken of herself and Kensei. She also had the annoying habit of asking random strangers to take pictures of them. Kensei wasn't smiling in most of them and that irked her when she was putting it together.

Eventually he found the photo he was looking for. The poses were identical but the setting was in the Visored kitchen. They were preparing dinner and Naomi kept goofing off like she always did back in those days. Mashiro bounded in with the camera Kensei got Naomi for Christmas and Naomi, of course, turned and mugged it up for the camera, leaving the food on the hot stove unattended. Kensei shouted at her and Mashiro hit _click! _

Now, he laughed heartily about it. But at the time he was fed up with her and kicked her out of the kitchen immediately afterwards. He didn't talk to her the rest of the night and she went home upset.

After Naomi died, Kensei regretted all those times he ignored her over something so petty. He regretted all the times he made her cry. And he regretted not smiling in those pictures.

If he had known there wouldn't be any more moments like the ones captured in those photographs, he would've smiled in each and every one.

* * *

_Hello, there! It's been a minute since I've updated and I'm very happy to bring you this chapter! I got stuck in a rut, so I went back and rewrote **a lot** of the story that completely changed the direction so it would flow more smoothly in my head. I'm very excited for you all to read the upcoming chapters (*cough*Chapter 14)_

_Addressing this chapter: **Uh, yeah: that happened.**_

_There's so much I want to say about this chapter, but I'm afraid I'll give too much away. I will say this is going to bite Kensei in the ass, in more ways than one **;)**_

_Anyway, thank you guys for reading. I finally got a review 10 chapters in haha! If you like it, **please review** and even if you don't, I'd still like to hear your thoughts on how I could make it better._

_Thank you, **AnimeFreak9091 **for your review!  
_


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